Secrets
by klynne83
Summary: Sequel to 'Heal, Lie & Fulcrum' Part 2 of my Ray & Lizzie Saga. Big changes coming up between Ray and Lizzie. Are they strong enough to survive?
1. Chapter 1

**1**

"Lizzie?" She hears Red calling for her. She kicks the bathroom door shut with her foot and turns back to the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach. "Lizzie?" she hears a soft knock at the door.

"Go away," she calls out, dry heaving. She couldn't even throw up anymore, she didn't have anything else in her stomach. The door creaks open with a gasp and Lizzie turns to see Red staring down at her. She was half undressed, having got as far as pants and a bra before the overwhelming need to throw up came over her.

"Thought I told you to go away," she grumbles turning back to dry heave.

"Do I ever do what you tell me to?" he asks, taking a step into the bathroom to stand behind her. He pulls her hair away from her face and rubs her back. He grimaces as she dry heaves again. "You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, just a stomach bug. I'll be fine," she leans back against Red. He places his hand onto her clammy forehead.

"Doesn't seem like you have a fever." He untangles himself from Lizzie and stands, helping her up. He guides her toward their bedroom and helps her sit down on the bed. "I'm going to call Harold. Tell him you are feeling under the weather."

"No, its fine Red. Really. Feeling a little better right now. Will you get me some crackers please?" Red nods before walking out. She could hear him rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen. He returns handing her a few crackers.

It had been over six months since the incident with the fulcrum, where she handed it to him and walked out. Thinking that everything was over between them. She had seen the looks on both Ray's face as well as Dembe's and knew it was over. That because she had waited so long to tell them, that they weren't ever going to forgive her. But Ray had ended up forgiving her and they put the whole thing past them. She hadn't heard him mention it to her again, so she didn't know what he had done with the Fulcrum and she didn't want to know. It was out of her hands and she was thankful for it.

"Just wanted to remind you that I will be out of town for a little while this morning. I'm going to meet a contact for our new blacklister, who is being quite elusive," Red says giving her a kiss on the side of her head.

"Will I see you tonight?" Lizzie questions, cocking her head to the side to stare at him.

Red nods. "Yes. I should only be gone an hour at the most. How about I swing by the Post Office and take you out to lunch?"

Lizzie sighs. "Yeah, I should be there. Unless Cooper has us off doing something else. I have a stack of paperwork a mile long. So does Ressler. Dembe going with you?"

Red smiles at her concern. "Of course. He keeps me out of trouble." Lizzie starts laughing at that while Red frowns at her. He gets up, gives her a quick kiss on the top of her head before walking toward the door. "You sure you're feeling okay?" he watches Lizzie take another bite of cracker and wave her hand at him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm feeling better already." Red nods his head once before disappearing from view. She sighs and puts her hand to her stomach. She knew what it was before actually knowing was it was.

"I love you," came from the other end of the apartment before the front door opens and closes.

"Love you," she says to herself. Red knew she was keeping something from him. It was only a matter of time before she broke down and told him.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Red and Dembe walk into the post office later that afternoon. His meeting that morning had not gone all that well. His contact was not forthcoming with the information, so Red was going to need something else to lure their ever elusive blacklister out. He takes a look around, noticing Aram behind his computers with Samar standing over his shoulder. They were both engrossed in whatever was on the screen in front of them. He turns to where Ressler and Lizzie's office was but noticed Lizzie was not in there. Only Ressler, with his head down. Paperwork most likely. Lizzie said they both had a lot. Red turns and walks toward Harold's office, opening the door and walking in. Dembe standing in the hall outside keeping a watchful eye on things.

"Harold," Red says cheerfully.

"Can I help you?" Harold asks looking up from his paperwork.

"Looking for Lizzie. Can you tell me where she is?"

"She took the afternoon, something about a doctor's appointment. She told me you were off talking to a contact about the next name on the list."

"What doctor's appointment?" Red asks, perplexed.

Cooper shrugs. "I don't know. I didn't ask."

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie sits in the waiting room of the doctor office. She sits back, taking a look around. All the offices she had been to looked the same. The same pale walls, soft music playing, green plastic chairs. There was a polar spring's water system in the corner and in the opposite corner a small basket full of kid's toys. A TV in the upper corner was playing the news on mute.

"Elizabeth?" Lizzie jumps up from her chair and walks toward where the nurse was waiting. "Elizabeth Scott?"

Lizzie nods nervously. "Yeah, that's me."

"Alright, here you go," the nurse hands Lizzie a small cup. "When you are done, just leave it there. Then we are just going to get you set up in a room. The doctor will be in, in a few minutes." Lizzie nods as the nurse leads her down into an exam room. "Here is your gown. Get undressed down to your underwear." The nurse takes her leave at that moment. Lizzie sighs as she starts getting undressed then slides the uncomfortable gown on. She pulls herself up onto the exam table, the paper crinkling underneath her. She rubs her hands up and down her arms, trying to get some sort of warmth in them.

Lizzie sighs again as she waits. She wanted Ray with her, but she needed to do this on her own. She wanted to do this on her own. She wanted to make sure she really was before she told Ray anything. He was probably going out of his mind worrying about her. She had turned her phone off as soon as she left the Post Office.

The door swings open as the doctor walks in. "Ms. Scott?"

"Yup, that's me," Lizzie says, giving the doctor a once over. She looked young, but looks could be deceiving.

The doctor launches into a series of questions: how far along she thinks she is, when was the date of her last period, does she smoke, drink? Lizzie answered as best as she could with all the questions thrown at her. "The urine test confirmed it. We are going to draw a little blood. A blood test will be more accurate."

Lizzie nods in understanding. She had done her homework before coming. She hoped Ray wouldn't be too mad that she hadn't told him. But she had to know for certain before she said anything. This was huge. She knew Cooper tolerated their relationship because they still worked as a team, but to bring a baby into this. She wasn't sure how well this was going to be perceived.

"You can get dressed. I will have the nurse bring you over to the room. It will be really quick. We should have the tests back in a day or so. You can pick up prenatal vitamins at any pharmacy," The doctor said, scribbling on her clip board.

"Is there anything I should avoid? I have a high stress job," Lizzie asks, concerned.

The doctor nods taking a look over her file on the table in front of her. "I would say take it easy. You will still be allowed in the field. But once you reach a certain point, I would suggest you take a desk job. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Yes, the urine test was positive, but I would really like to wait for the blood test. What sort of exercise do you do?"

Lizzie smiles thinking of the main exercise she took part in, the exercise that got her in this situation. "Running and a little yoga."

"Well, don't just stop. The worst thing you can do is just stop. Yoga is definitely good. You can keep that up."

"Okay, thank you," Lizzie says, shaking the doctor's hand as she walks out. She quickly gets dressed, leaving the uncomfortable gown on the table. She pokes her head out of the room and sees the nurse.

"You ready?" The nurse asks, leading Lizzie towards the other side of the doctor's office. She hands another nurse a clipboard while the new takes one takes a look at the file, her file. She points to a chair.

"You can just sit there. Relax," she gives Lizzie a big smile. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"I tried. Just ended up coming back up," Lizzie grimaces remembering this morning, hunched over the toilet.

The nurse smiles apologetically. "Yeah, that's the only thing that stinks about being pregnant. The morning sickness. But by month 4, it should start wearing off. Unless your one of the ones that lasts the whole time."

"God, I hope not. I cannot imagine that every morning," Lizzie shudders.

The nurse makes quick work of drawing blood. Lizzie watches as blood flows through the tubing and into the small container they were going to store it in. She blinks once before the nurse switches it out for another one. The nausea coming on quick. Lizzie leans back in the chair and closes her eyes.

"Are you okay?" the nurse asks quietly.

"Just a little nauseous."

The nurse finishes quickly, placing a piece of gauze and tape over the small wound where the needle had been. "Here," Lizzie opens her eyes to see the nurse handing her a small packet of crackers. "We have some small juice boxes. Let me get you one. We need to get your blood sugar up."

"Thank you," Lizzie says taking a small bite of the cracker. She didn't know how she was going to be out in the field if she couldn't even watch her blood get drawn.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer is on my profile**

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie walks out of the doctor's office feeling much better. The crackers and the juice box definitely helped. Mentally taking a note to try that in the morning when she gets up. She walks to where she parked her car, grabs her cell phone and looks at it for a moment before deciding not to turn it on. She knew if Red really wanted to, he would find her. If he had half a mind to, he could have someone turn her phone on. But she knew he was giving her space.

He was going to be so mad that she wasn't at the Post Office. She was afraid to turn her cell on, because of this fact. Since they had started this intimate relationship, he had gotten even more overprotective than usual and it grated on her nerves. She was an FBI agent, she carried a gun, and she knew how to use it. But she also knew, that his overprotectiveness came from a good place. He just wanted her safe.

She walks across the street to where there was a park. She needed to take a few minutes and unwind after that doctor's appointment. A baby. What the hell were they going to do now?

It was a beautiful afternoon, and she was glad for it. Her mood wouldn't be able to take anything else. It helped uplift her spirits. She spots a playground and takes a seat at one of the benches and gazes around her. There were a couple of moms with their kids and she smiles running her hand over her stomach. She watches one mom with her son, who looked only to be about a year or so. The mom was sitting down holding her arms out waiting for her son to take that first step. Lizzie chuckles as he takes a few tentative steps, smiling as he reaches his mother. The mother coos happily, making the boy giggle.

"Excuse me," Lizzie hears pulling her gaze off the mother and son and towards the voice. She looks up into the smiling face of a young, red headed mother.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I sit? It's the closest park bench to the playground."

"Oh, of course," Lizzie scoots over, watching as the red head takes a seat next to her, pulling a stroller in front. Lizzie watches as she lets her kid out of the stroller, setting him on the ground before watching him walk towards the playground.

"Which one is yours?" the woman asks.

"Oh, none of them. I just found out. I took the afternoon and didn't want to go back to the office just yet."

The red head nods in understanding. "If you don't mind me saying, you look nervous. I'm guessing this wasn't planned?"

Lizzie shakes her head. "I'm in law enforcement. So, while it's not uncommon, it's still going to be difficult. I have a very high stress job."

The woman nods again. "Is the father around?"

Lizzie nods. "Yeah, but I don't know for how long. This wasn't planned or anything. I love him, so I just hope he accepts this baby. I have wanted to be a mother for so long." What was wrong with her? Why was she talking to this stranger about this?

"Well, at least you have something I didn't. You have a guy that loves you. My son's father left as soon as he found out. I lost my job and had no income. But I kept my head up and knew that somehow, things would work out. You just have to think positive."

Lizzie mulls that over for a moment. She reaches for her phone that was on the bench next to her and turns it on. It then starts buzzing, with a dozen missed calls and texts. Most of them from Ray, but a few from Ressler and Aram. There was also one from Cooper. She couldn't bother calling any of them back. She knew Ray would show up sooner or later.

The two women lapse into silence enjoying the afternoon sun and watching the playground. She looks down at her phone. It was silent which was odd, since she thought Ray would be calling a lot more. The woman next to her gasps and Lizzie looks at her, expecting to see her walking toward the playground and her kid, but no, her gaze wasn't on the playground, it was on the path at the front of the park. Lizzie turns her head and smiles when she sees Red, dressed as he was this morning. He was wearing one of her favorite suits, the soft gray one. He had shed his jacket at some point and was now just wearing his stark white shirt and a darker gray vest.

"Lizzie," he says walking towards her and holding his hand out. She takes it and he pulls her off the bench. Instead of leading her towards the front, like she thought, he keeps walking. She turns to see Dembe not far behind them. They walk in silence for a few moments. Why was this so hard? They shared everything. And now, now she didn't know what to do. "Sweetheart," he stops, wiping the tears she didn't know were falling away. Lizzie wraps her arms around Ray, burying her face into his neck. "What's the matter?"

"You are going to hate me. You are going to leave and I don't want that. I love you so much," Lizzie cries.

"What?" Ray asks. "What is going on sweetheart?"

"I'm pregnant."

There was a long pause, but she was afraid to look up. She feels his grip on her go slack. She glances up, but puts her head back down when she sees the horrified look on his face. Lizzie takes a step back and turns on her heel, walking away from Ray and past Dembe who grabs her arm softly as she walks away.

"Liz?" Dembe asks looking from Ray to her.

She pulls her arm out of his grasp and continues to walk away. She walks past the playground where she had been sitting and towards the front of the park. She makes it across the street and to her car. She gets herself in and drives away, leaving the area. She pulls over into a parking lot of a store before letting herself break down. Laying her head down onto the steering wheel, she lets out a loud sob before finally letting the tears stream down her cheeks.

She wipes the tears away before maneuvering her car into traffic. She heads to the one place where she felt safe. The Post Office. She stands in the back of the elevator, pulling herself into the corner. She takes a step out of the elevator as it stops. She takes a look around at the hustle of the Post Office. Samar looks up from where she was bent over a computer next to Aram. Lizzie turns immediately, heading to her office. She walks in, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Liz?" she looks up to see Ressler's concerned face. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She shakes her head silently, willing the tears away. Ressler had seen Liz in some sticky situations, but never like this. It looks like she was barely hanging on. Ressler gets up from his desk and wraps his arms around her. She lays her head down onto his shoulder, taking a few deep breaths.

"I'm pregnant, Ress," she whispers. Ressler blinks in shock, tightening his arms around her. "He didn't even say anything. He just froze. He looked horrified," she cries. She starts trying to breathe, but she was having trouble. "I can't…" she gasps out.

"Alright, okay," he tries to soothe her as best he could. He brings her over to his chair and eases her down onto it. He runs to the door, throwing it open only to see Samar walking towards their office. She quickens her pace as she sees Ressler's panicked look. She pushes past him and drops to her knees in front of Liz, who looked like she was turning blue.

"Liz, it's okay," Ressler hears Samar murmur. "Just follow my breathing. Calm down." 

"I can't…" she gasps out.

"If you don't start breathing on your own, then we are going to have to call the ambulance. And I am sure that you don't want that." Samar looks up as she hears Ressler on the phone.

"What do you mean you're taking off? You can't just leave her Reddington. Are you kidding me right now? She needs you," Ressler growls venomously into the phone. Ressler slams his phone on his desk and looks to where Samar was still trying to calm Liz down. Samar catches Ressler's eyes and he shakes his head. Samar sighs and looks toward the door where Cooper was standing with Aram beside him.

"What is going on here Agent Ressler?" Cooper questions.

Ressler sighs before leading his boss out of the office. He quickly explains the situation. Cooper sighs, running a hand over his forehead. "Sir, I don't know if he is coming back."

"What do you mean? Not coming back?"

"I called him. She needs him. And now she is in this situation. He said he had some business to take care of, that he was leaving. He didn't tell me when he was coming back, he didn't know."

Cooper sighs again. "I knew this was a bad idea as soon as they got involved. We've kept it secret this long, let's see if we can keep it secret longer. If the higher ups get involved, who knows what's going to happen to Scott or Reddington." Ressler nods his head before turning around and walking into his office. "And Ressler?" Ressler turns to look at Cooper. "Take her home."

"Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

It had been over a month since she found out she was pregnant and Ray had taken off. The first couple of days she couldn't function, she didn't want to function. Not without him. She missed him. She missed him like crazy. She called his phone, but it would ring and ring and ring and then the voicemail would come on. She would cry, telling him he needed to come home. That she needed him. That she and the baby needed him. Then when the tears subsided she tried to guilt him into coming home. Telling his voicemail and hopefully him that he had promised her he wouldn't ever leave her.

Then came the hate messages when guilt tripping him didn't work. She hated him and wished he had never come into her life. She hoped that he stayed away, that her and the baby would be better off without him. That she didn't want him to come home and she was done. She didn't want his money that would mysteriously show up in her bank account.

She had also moved out of the apartment they shared. She didn't want anything that was there. All the clothes that he had bought her, all the furniture that he picked out. She didn't want to sleep in the same bed they once shared. She didn't want any of it. So one day while at work, bored, she had pulled up real estate listings and decided to look up two bedroom apartments. She found one her second search.

Ressler, of course, demanded to come with her, the overprotective fool that he was. Ever since he had learned of the pregnancy he wouldn't stop hovering. While at times she thought it was nice, other times it was annoying. Cooper had benched her from being in the field after a close call with someone they had been tracking down that was not a blacklister, he pushed into her causing her to lose her balance and fall. Ressler had immediately taken her to the hospital, demanding she be seen.

When the doctor on call had done a workup and an ultrasound and told Ressler that they were okay, he demanded she take a desk job. She argued against it, but Cooper ultimately sided with her partner. So while Samar and Ressler were out in the field, she was left behind in the office pouting. She was starting to learn a lot of other technical know-how from Aram, so at least there was some upside. She got to see what he did when her and Ressler had been out in the field.

So she finds herself looking over at her partner who had his head down, working on the paperwork in front of him. Lucky for her, not being in the field means less paperwork for her. Her cell phone rings and Ressler looks up at her. She scoops it up not bothering to look at the caller ID. She didn't know many people who would be calling her. Almost everyone she knew or who would call her worked here.

"Scott?"

"Dearie, may I…" she hears the unmistakable voice of Red's go-to body disposal expert Mr. Kaplan.

"No, you may not," her voice is clipped. Ressler frowns at her.

"Raymond…"

"Is not my concern any more. He took off almost three months ago. I have not heard from him and I do not want to hear from him."

"He's concerned for the well-being of you and his child."

"Concerned?" Lizzie lets out dark chuckle. "He's concerned? Then maybe he shouldn't have taken off like the coward he is. Maybe he should have sucked it up and stuck around like he told me he would. I do not want to hear about how concerned he is. I don't care how concerned he is. And another thing? His child? I think not. My child. My body. My baby." And with that she hangs up, not giving Mr. Kaplan a chance to respond.

Ressler gets up, coming to stand next to Lizzie. He runs his hand up and down her back as she puts her head into her hands. She takes a deep breath before looking up at Ressler.

"Everything okay?" he questions.

"No," she says, willing the tears not to fall. Another thing about this damn pregnancy? Hormones. She hated them. If she could get away with being pregnant and not have the damn hormones or the morning sickness, she would take it. "The nerve of that man. Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Raymond 'pain-in-all-our-asses' Reddington," Ressler supplies as Lizzie laughs. "What did he do this time?"

"He's 'concerned'," she makes quotes with her fingers. "Sending Mr. Kaplan to do his dirty work. Ugh!"

Ressler heads back over to his desk watching Lizzie pull out a Ziploc baggie full of oyster crackers. "What do you say we knock out of here a little early? We can stop and get some Chinese?" Ressler asks.

Lizzie shakes her head, popping a few crackers into her mouth. "Can't. Doctor says I have to lay off the Chinese and that I need to start eating healthier." 

"No Chinese at all? How _are you_ going to survive?" Ressler asks with a smile.

Lizzie sticks her tongue out at Ressler. "I can still have Chinese, but I need to limit my intake. And I need to find some place that doesn't have MSG in their food."

Ressler nods his head. "Yeah, yeah. It's bad for the baby," he remarks. He notices Lizzie staring at him. "What?"

"And how would you know that?"

"I know how to use Google," he defends.

"Mm-hmm," she replies popping another few crackers into her mouth.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie and Ressler leave at a reasonable hour that night. Cooper had warned them that since Red was in the wind that the task force was back into full 'find-Raymond-Reddington' mode. Cooper had stared at Lizzie making sure she got the message. Lizzie nodded but was worried. On one hand, she wanted Red back. He was the father of her baby, the love of her life. On the other hand, he could rot in jail for the rest of his life.

"Do you want to stop and get something to eat?" Ressler asks breaking his partner out of her thoughts.

"Sure," she replies, a smile overtaking her face before lapsing into silence. "You know what sounds really good?"

"Chinese?" Ressler asks with a grin.

Lizzie shakes her head laughing. "I was going to say Italian. Have to lay off the Chinese, remember?"

"Italian?" Ressler questioned. "Didn't you say sauce made you throw up? Because every time you've had anything like that you'd end up in the bathroom."

"It did, now it doesn't. Or maybe it will, who knows?" she shrugs her shoulders. "Ressler, the baby wants Italian. Are you really going to deny it Italian?" she turns to look at Ressler with a small pout on her face.

Ressler smiles, his blue eyes shining with happiness. "Definitely not. I know a place. It's good. Me and uh," he pauses and even though it was hard, it was getting better to say her name, "me and Audrey used to go there."

Lizzie nods her head. "If it's too hard, we don't have to."

"No, I want to. It still hurts. But I'm moving on with my life."

"That's good Ressler. That's really good. If only I could do the same," she replies with a sigh. Ressler looks over at her but says nothing. He knew she was still hung up on Red, he just didn't know how much.

Ressler pulls up to a small little Italian place by the name of Tony's. Lizzie gets out of the SUV and lets out a little groan at the small emanating from the restaurant. Ressler leads her in and over to where a podium stood with the hostess behind it. "Just two?" she questions looking at them.

"Yes please," Lizzie says looking around. There were landscaped pictures on the walls. Dark red, almost burgundy table clothes on the tables. The atmosphere was dark, but alluring at the same time. It almost looked like someplace lovers would come to but she saw plenty of families here at well. She felt at ease. Something she didn't feel as of late.

They took a look over their menus, making small talk. Since Ressler had been here before she asked what was good. "Pretty much everything," he replies. The waitress appears and they order, having decided quickly what they wanted.

"It's nice here," Lizzie replies looking around again. She couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched and it aggravated her. She knew he had someone watching her. There was only one person who could have someone watching her. All thoughts of her stalker disappeared as the food arrived.

"So, what do you think about this whole thing?" Ressler asks.

"This whole 'finding Red' thing?" Lizzie asks knowing exactly what her partner was asking.

Ressler nods watching Lizzie. He wasn't sure how she was dealing with this whole thing. He wanted to make sure she was okay with everything going on. Lizzie takes a moment to think. "I don't know Ress. Honestly, the way Cooper told us earlier, I think he wanted me to warn Red."

"Yeah, I got that as well. Are you going to? Warn Red?"

"I think he might know. I've had the feeling I'm being watched lately. Obviously, there is only person who would have someone watching me. So, I will call his phone and let Ray's voicemail know about the taskforce."

"I think that is a good idea," Ressler nods his head. Lizzie flashes her cell phone at him before getting up and heading towards the bathroom. Lizzie walks into the bathroom dialing Ray's number. She waits for the voicemail to come on, but gets a surprise when she hears Ray's voice.

"Lizzie?"

She pauses, surprised. "Don't speak. Just listen. Since you are in the wind the higher ups decided to put a halt on this whole 'blacklist' thing. They are starting to hunt you again. Cooper wanted me to warn you, without actually telling me to warn you. Be careful Ray. And I just wanted to tell you that I'm okay," she hangs up before he could respond. She didn't know if she would be able to stay strong if he were to try and talk to her. She leaves the bathroom and heads back to the table just in time to see Ressler tuck his wallet back into pocket.

"What if I wanted dessert?" she teases.

"I was thinking we could head to the park across the street. It's a nice night out and I know for a fact they have those ice cream carts there."

Lizzie nods and they get up heading out of the restaurant and to the park across the street. She takes in the familiar trails, they pass the playground she sat at the day she found out she was pregnant. They continue to walk in companionable silence before Lizzie slips her arm through Ressler's, laying her head on his shoulder as they continue walking. She stops suddenly, causing Ressler to stop as well. "Liz?" he asks concerned.

"It happened right here," she says, her eyes moist. Ressler stares at her, waiting for her to continue. "The day I told Ray I was pregnant. I can still remember his face. He looked horrified. I knew he wouldn't be pleased, but I didn't think he would be like that. When I realized he hated this," she gestures to her belly, "I left. I don't know how I made it to my car. My car was parked almost where your SUV is. My doctor's office is down a little bit from the restaurant. I had to stop on my way to the Post Office. I just started sobbing," she recalls allowing the tears to fall.

"Liz," Ressler's eyes were sad. He gathers her into his arms, letting her cry. "Listen, I want you to know I am here for you. For whatever you need. For whatever the baby needs. And if Reddington decides not to come back, I am willing to be there."

Lizzie hugs Ressler tighter. "Ress," she sighs out his name.

"I mean it. This kid is gonna need a father. I will be there."


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

Another month had passed since that fateful day when Mr. Kaplan called and Ressler had told her that he would be there for her. That he would be a father to the baby. She was still wrapping her head around that. Her baby bump had grown bigger and Ressler couldn't stop grinning at her.

She had talked Samar into going maternity shopping with her since she didn't have any real girlfriends. Surprisingly Lizzie had fun. They had girl talk while having lunch afterwards and some secrets had come spilling out. More like Lizzie had pulled the truth out of Samar that something had happened between her and Red.

Samar sits back in her chair watching Lizzie's face. "Are you expecting me to freak out?" Lizzie asks, cocking her head to the side.

Samar shrugs her shoulders. Stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork before pointing to Lizzie's growing stomach. "With that, I wasn't sure."

Lizzie shrugs herself. "I figured something happened. And while we weren't together then, it still hurts. When I asked him, he didn't try to deny it. He told me straight out that yes, something happened between you two but it meant nothing."

Samar swallows a bite of salad before taking a look at her, gauging Lizzie's reaction. "So what's going on with Ressler?"

Lizzie's fork stops halfway to her mouth. She closes her mouth while clearing her throat. "What are you talking about?"

Samar shakes her head at her friend. "What am I talking about?" she repeats. "Ressler has been no more than three feet from you the entire time he's known about the baby."

"Donald Ressler is a hoverer. He hovers. It annoys me to no end while at the same time I like it. I find it endearing. Does that make any sense?" she didn't want Samar to know just yet what had happened that night at the park. She needed to sort out her own feelings about it first.

Samar nods before shrugging. "Sure, I guess. You like the fact that he's around, makes you feel secure. But at the same time he drives you crazy while doing it."

"Yes. Yes. You know, I always thought I would enjoy being pregnant. And once I got past the morning sickness, I do enjoy it. But at this point, I thought I would have someone around to do things with. Shopping for maternity clothes, looking at baby things. Now, it's just me looking at Babies R Us on my computer in my empty apartment. It's not fun. Although Ressler told me if I needed any heavy lifting to give him a call. Which I will take him up on. He helped me move into my new place."

"Have you ever thought of what is going to happen if or when Reddington comes back?"

Lizzie thinks about it for a moment. "Besides letting Ressler put a bullet in him like he tried to do a few years ago?"

Samar laughs while shrugging. "I guess so."

Lizzie shakes her head. "I have no idea. His go-to body removal expert Mr. Kaplan keeps calling me. I told her she needed to stop calling. That I don't want anything to do with Raymond Reddington."

"And how did she take that?"

"She was not happy. She was downright rude to me. I know that whatever I tell her goes right back to Red. And I don't care. I've done the crying thing, I've tried to guilt trip him, and then I turned to anger. Nothing worked. So I'm done. He can take a flying leap off a tall building for all I care."

~*~ TBL ~*~

It had been two weeks since the conversation with Samar and Lizzie felt good. She was happy, finally. She never thought she would be again after RAY left, but she was. She still missed him, still longed for him even, but she was finally okay where she was in her life.

She looked up at Ressler from across her desk and quickly looked back down at the paperwork in front of her. She bit her lip, wanting to ask something of Ressler, but she didn't know how to go about it. She looked back up at Ressler, taking in his appearance. His reddish blond hair was in disarray from him constantly running his hand through it. He was frustrated, hell, the whole office was frustrated. They had been on the hunt for Red again, and Lizzie knew that if he didn't want to be found, they wouldn't find him.

Lizzie opens her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wasn't sure how he would take her question. She closes her mouth quickly, shaking her head. She wasn't going to do it.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" Ressler asks, looking up from his paperwork.

"Ah, maybe," she replies. "I was wondering if and you can say no, don't feel like you have to go with me. I know with everything going on you are busy and…" she trails off as she feels Ressler's hand on hers. She looks up noticing he had leaned across the desks.

"Just ask me," he remarks, smirking at her nervousness.

"I have a doctor's appointment coming up. I'm finding out the sex and I wanted to know if you would come with me. I know it's a lot to ask, and like I said you have a lot going on and…" she trails off again as Ressler pulls his hand away from hers. She looks up as he gets up from his desk to come and kneel before her.

"I would be honored," he takes his hand into hers.

"Really?" she asks.

"Really. I still stand by what I said, I am going to be there for you and the little tyke. Don't be afraid to ask me anything you want."

"Thank you Don," she says with a soft smile.

~*~ TBL ~*~

The day of her appointment came quicker than she expected. She just hoped her little one cooperated. She had heard stories where mothers went in to find out the sex and the baby didn't cooperate. She had taken the day off but Ressler still had to work, so she had scheduled it around his lunch break. She didn't want too many people asking questions. It was still very hush hush that she carried Reddington's child. Cooper had kept everything on the down low. She knew that if word got out, she would be tried and her baby taken away. She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't let that happen.

She spends the morning in bed, glad to be able to sleep in for once. Her growing belly made it difficult to sleep sometimes. She didn't know how she was going to make it another four months.

Eventually she gets up and starts getting ready. She pulls on a pair of black, comfy yoga pants and a dark purple maternity shirt. She slips her feet into a pair of sneakers, grabbing her purse and a sweater. She pulls her hair into a ponytail and heads to the door as her phone alerts her to a text message. She looks at it quickly, noticing it was Ressler telling her he was waiting for her.

She locks the door behind her and heads to the lobby of her building. "Ms. Scott," she hears as she walks through the lobby. She turns to see the doorman.

"Yes?" she questions.

"This came for you. I was going to call you but I saw your partner waiting and I knew you would be down soon." Ressler had been here so much the doorman knew who he was and recognized his SUV. He hands her a square package and Lizzie smiles while taking a look at it. There was no return address so she knew who it had to be from.

"What's that?" Ressler asks as she gets into the SUV.

"I think it's from Ray," she says softly. Ressler looks over at her, noticing how she gripped the package to her. "Remember, when we went out to dinner at that Italian place? Cooper had warned us about how the higher ups wanted us to go after Reddington again?" she watches Ressler nod.

"You called him from the bathroom," he fills in.

"Yeah, well, he answered. He got my name out before I told him to be quiet. Then I told him that we had to go after him. That the higher ups wanted to halt this whole blacklist thing. Then I told him I was okay."

"And what did he say?" Ressler asks, the suspense was killing him. Even though he and Liz weren't together, he still told her that he would help raise the child with her. They didn't need to be together to raise a child. He didn't know what was going to happen if Reddington came back.

"I didn't give him a chance to say anything. I hung up right after. But this package doesn't have a return address. So it has to be him right?" she asks.

Ressler shrugs his shoulders, not liking where this was going. "Liz, if someone finds out you have a way to contact him…" he trails off knowing his threat would hit the mark.

"I know. I know. Would it be wrong to say that I was still in love with him? That I wish he would come back."

"I don't know what to say to that," Ressler comments. Lizzie looks at him for a moment and then turns back to stare out the window. She looks down at the package in her hands and suddenly tears the brown paper off the box. Ressler turns as Lizzie lets out a gasp. "What? Are you okay?"

"I, uh… Yeah, I think. Yeah, I, uh…" she stutters.

"What is it?" Ressler asks pulling over into the parking lot that the doctor's office used.

"Bath stuff," she says absentmindedly.

"Bath stuff?" Ressler asks not understanding. The two get out and head into the building where the doctor's office was. They stand in silence in the elevator. Lizzie leads the way. The nurse behind the desk smiles at her.

"Hey Liz. Everything still the same?" she asks.

Liz nods. "I've brought my partner today," Liz points to where Ressler was sitting, looking very uneasy.

"Oh, that's great. Everyone should have someone when finding out what they are having. I'm glad for you," the nurse says. "And he's very cute."

"And he's very single," Liz says leaning forward. They both look at Ressler who turns to see the two staring at him. The nurse winks at him and both laugh when Ressler blushes slightly. Liz takes a seat next to Ressler who turns to her.

"What was that about?"

"The nurse, Sarah," Lizzie points to the nurse who gives a slight wave to them. "Thinks your cute." Ressler shakes his head but grins. "I think you should ask her out. She seemed like she was interested."

Ressler opens his mouth to respond, but Liz's name is called. She gets up pulling Ressler with her. The nurse hands Lizzie a cup and she takes it. "Stay right here. I will be right out." She heads into the bathroom and comes back out. The nurse weighs her and then they walk into an exam room. The exam was quick and the doctor smiles, seeing the look on Liz's face.

"You ready?"

"Yes, very," the doctor leads them into another, dark room. Liz hops up onto another exam table and Ressler stands by Liz's head and watches as Liz pulls her shirt up and they squirt a clear liquid onto her stomach. The ultrasound tech places the wand onto her stomach and the sound of the baby's heartbeat could be heard through the room.

"Wow," Ressler says. Lizzie looks up at him and smiles when she sees his look of awe.

"I'm just going to do a few quick measurements and then we will get to the good stuff," the tech remarks. They watch as she measures the baby and confers with Lizzie's doctor about a few things before turning to Lizzie. "You ready to find out the sex of your baby?"

"Oh my God. Yes," she remarks and Ressler chuckles.

"And it seems your babe is in a showing off mood. It's a…"


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

"What? What is it?" Ressler asks. Unbeknownst to him, Lizzie had reached up to take his hand. He squeezes her hand back as he moves closer to her.

"Hope you like pink," the tech replies with a smile.

"I'm going to have a girl?" Lizzie breathes out as a few tears fall down her cheeks. They finish up and Lizzie looks up at Ressler. "Would you mind waiting for me in the waiting room? I just have to talk to the doctor really quick."

Ressler nods with a dazed look on his face. She smiles at his look and then takes the wipes the tech hands her to wipe the goop off her belly. "You wanted to speak with me?" Lizzie takes the pictures the tech had printed out. She looks at them with a smile.

"I was wondering if I could possibly get a DVD of the ultrasound. The father really isn't around right now, but if and when he does come, I would like to share this with him," Lizzie tells the two sheepishly.

"Of course," the tech replies grabbing a DVD off one of the shelves. "You're not the first mom to ask me. I have a ton of moms who have husbands deployed to ask the same thing. Even though the husbands or father's aren't around, they still want to share this event with them. I've had father's find out over face time and over skype. The wonders of technology," the tech says with a cheery smile. She hands the DVD over to Lizzie who holds it close to her chest along with the pictures.

"Thank you," Lizzie says. She walks out of the room and down the hall to the waiting room. She sees Ressler leaning against the counter talking to Nurse Sarah behind the desk. She smiles as she watches Ressler hand a business card over to the nurse. She gets close enough to hear Ressler tell Sarah he would see her in a few days before looking at Lizzie.

"You all done?" he asks.

"Yeah, just have to make an appointment," Lizzie approaches the desk and smiles warmly at Sarah.

"A month?" Sarah asks with a bright smile. Lizzie nods and the two decide on a date that works best for Lizzie. "Thank you for bringing him," she gestures to where Ressler was standing by the elevator. "We have a date scheduled for Friday, but he told me not to take it personally if he had to cancel last minute. I guess things pop up unexpectedly for you guys where you work."

"Yeah, you could say that. But things have been really slow so I will do my best to make sure he makes your date," Lizzie whispers to her. Sarah laughs handing Lizzie her appointment card. She follows Ressler onto the elevator. Lizzie chuckles at the happy look on Ressler's face. He looked happier than she thinks she has ever seen him. And that made her happy.

"Hey Liz?" Ressler asks as he heads back toward her apartment. Lizzie looks over at him. "Thanks for asking me to come. That was amazing. You are going to have a daughter. How do you feel about that?"

"I feel surprisingly okay with that. I had an anxiety attack about it because I didn't want to compare Ray's past with now. He had a daughter that seemingly vanished. Even his ex-wife doesn't know where she is. So, for that I didn't want to be happy if it ended up being a girl. But now, all I can think of, is my little girl. I am having a little girl Don."

"Yes, you are," he says with a smile. "Can I tell everyone or do you want to keep this a secret? Or are you going to tell them yourself?"

"I think I'm gonna wait to tell them myself. Aram has been asking me almost every day. He can wait till tomorrow when I come into work. Ressler, can you stop? I want to run into the store really quick." Ressler pulls into the parking lot for Babies R Us. He pulls up and Lizzie jumps out hurrying into the store. She comes back a few minutes later with the bag and gets into the car. He pulls up in front of Lizzie's building a few minutes later.

"You going to tell me about those bath things?" Ressler nods his head toward the box by her feet.

"It was the first or second case we had after me and Ray got together. We had to go to Paris. One of Red's contacts was hiding there. We thought we would be there a few hours, but his contact was being a pain in the ass, so we had to stay overnight. We ended up staying in the hotel he usually stays in while there. They had these products in the bathroom. Red loved the way they smelled on me. He loved the way they made my body, as calls it, 'feel silky'," she says with a chuckle. "He knows how much I love them. I consider these pampering myself. I saw the price tag on one of these and freaked out. They are pricey and Red knows I would never buy them for myself."

"So, what? Is he sucking up to you now? Trying to get you to forgive him or something? Is he coming back?"

"I don't know Don. If he is coming back, he hasn't let me know," she replies gathering up the box by her feet. She shoves the ultrasound pictures and DVD into the box and grabs the bag before getting out of the car.

"Liz?" she turns to look at her partner. "Am I still making you lasagna tonight?"

"Am I pregnant?" she asks seriously. Ressler takes a moment, not sure how to respond. Her moods had been a little crazy, so he didn't want to say anything wrong and have her freak out, or cry. She takes pity on him and smiles. "The answer is yes."

Ressler sighs in relief. "Alright, I will see you after work."

Lizzie sighs in relief as she finally gets into her apartment. She places everything onto the kitchen table and walks into the living room taking a seat on the couch. She was exhausted. She lays down putting the TV on, not really watching it. She just wanted some sort of background noise. Before she knew it, her eyes were closing. She swore she heard her door open, but she couldn't keep her eyes open enough to investigate.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie wakes with a start, blinking while taking in her living room. She pushes the blanket off, she didn't remember putting a blanket on herself. Something felt off and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She lays back down, pulling the blanket tighter around her, trying to think when Ray's unmistakable scent wafts around her. She pulls the blanket up to her nose and breathes in deeply. There was no mistaking Ray's scent on it. She groans while the tears came. Who was she kidding? She missed him like crazy and she wanted him home with her.

She tosses the blanket and heads into the bathroom. She walks into the kitchen and sits down at the table, taking the ultrasound pictures out of the box she had stuffed them in earlier. She finds a good one of her daughter's profile and sets it aside. She pulls the box with the frame she had picked out earlier out of the bag. She then proceeds to stick the ultrasound picture into the pink frame. She slips it back into the box and write's Ray's name on the outside. She grabs her phone where it was sitting next to everything on the table and dials a number she knew from memory.

"Emissary Hotel," a voice asks once the ringing had been picked up.

"Mr. Kaplan please," she says.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaplan isn't available. Would you like to leave a message?" the cheerful voice asks.

"Just say Elizabeth called and would like a meeting," she says before hanging up. She had to shake off Ray's visit. She couldn't let Ressler know that something had happened or something was wrong. Her phone starts ringing and she looks at it seeing Ressler's name on the screen. "Hey, Ress, what's up?"

"Gonna have to take a rain check," he replies. Lizzie breathes a sigh of relief. "Sorry about dinner. It seems Reddington has been spotted and Cooper wants me and Navabi to check it out."

"Are you supposed to be telling me this?" she asks noticing his hushed voice.

"There is someone here, so Cooper wanted me to "tell" you I had to cancel dinner," he emphasizes the 'tell'. She understands that while the higher ups wanted to start hunting Red as a fugitive, Cooper didn't.

"Where was he spotted?" she asks.

"London," Ressler replies. Lizzie shakes her head with a smile. She knew Ray wasn't in London, or someone else had been in her apartment. She wouldn't entertain that notion. It could have been Dembe, he sorta smelled like Ray, but he had his own smell to him that was uniquely Dembe. "Listen, Liz, I'm sorry about dinner tonight. I hate to cancel our plans, but work calls," he tells her in a normal voice. Lizzie chuckles getting off the phone with her partner. A knock sounds on the door and she looks up from admiring one of the ultrasound pictures on the table in front of her. She gets up, pulling herself from the chair and heads to the door. She pulls it open, shocked to see Mr. Kaplan standing in front of her.

"Come in," she says taking a step back and allowing the older woman to enter.

"You are looking good dear," she says looking Lizzie over. "You said you wanted a meeting."

"Yes, I have something for Ray," Lizzie turns and heads into the kitchen. She grabs the box off the table and hands it to Mr. Kaplan. "I know he's around and I know he's very good at breaking and entering. But I didn't just want to spring this on him. I think he needs to be alone when he opens this. And knowing Red like I do, he will need some time to come to terms with this."

"What is it? If you don't mind me asking," Mr. Kaplan looks down at the package in her hands.

"Our daughter," Lizzie says looking the woman in the eyes. She watches Mr. Kaplan suck in a deep breath. "And that's exactly why he needs to look at it by himself. It would be different had the baby been a boy, but it's not."

"Yes, I understand," Mr. Kaplan says after a minute. "I thought you said it was your body. Your baby," she throws Lizzie's words back in her face.

"I did, but I said it out of anger. I love him and I want him around. I want him to explain why he left. I would like him to come to me when I'm awake and not sleeping."

"Not sleeping?" Kaplan asks, not understanding what Lizzie was saying.

"He was here today. I fell asleep on the couch after my doctor's appointment. When I woke up, I had a blanket draped over me. I could smell him. I could smell Ray when I woke up. I know his scent. Ressler called me a blood hound one day because my sense of smell is so overwhelming. I know he was here."

Kaplan nods. "I don't know if you want confirmation or not, but he didn't tell me he was coming. You know he has no bounds when it comes to you. And I will let you in on something, he left to protect you and the baby. He needed to tie up some, let's just call them loose ends. He was happy, shocked, upset, but most of all he loves you and his child. He wants to give you the world Elizabeth. He was upset, listening to you cry on the phone. He wanted to jump on the first flight back when you tried to guilt trip him into come back. We had to stop him, otherwise his plans would have been for nothing. He was sad when he heard your hate messages. And now, I think he knows you want him to come home. If he is here, then I have no knowledge of it. Just like you, he tells me what I need to know, and that's it."

Lizzie had tears streaming down her face after Kaplan's rant. "Oh my God," she cries. She sits down onto the kitchen chair, putting her face into her hands. She lets out a sob, before getting up and walking into the living room. She picks up the blanket that was usually on the back of the couch and brings it to her face, breathing in Ray's scent.

"I didn't tell you this to make you upset dearie. I told you this to make you understand. I will take my leave. I have a few choice words to say to Raymond as well. And I will give him this," Kaplan turns and Lizzie hears the door open and close a few minutes later.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Later that night after whipping herself up a peanut butter and banana sandwich, she lays in bed. She pulls her laptop onto her legs and pulls up a baby site she had been looking at the previous day, when there was a knock at the door. She looks at her bedside clock noticing it was late, but not too late. She pushes the laptop aside and heads toward her front door. She pulls it open and gasps when she sees Ray standing in front of her. He was wearing his typical attire: a grey suit, white shirt, and vest. His eyes were moist behind his black framed glasses, the glasses only she got to see. Before Lizzie knew it she had stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into him. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her in as close as she could get with their daughter in between them.

"Lizzie," he whispers. She tightens her grip on him, letting out a sob. She was back in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

Lizzie drags Ray into the apartment and over to the couch. She pushes him down forcefully and curls into his side next to him. She lays her head onto his shoulder. She couldn't believe that he was here. On one hand, she was glad, but on another, she was upset that he had left. Ray curls his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. He turns his head, burying his face into her hair, breathing in her scent. He couldn't believe that he was here with her after so long. Lizzie's phone rings and Ray starts to untangle himself but Lizzie holds him with a death grip.

"They can wait," she remarks burying herself deeper into him. She breathes in his unique 'Ray' scent, happy for him to be home. If someone were to ask her to describe his scent, she wouldn't be able to. It was somewhere between a woodsy scent and pure man. She knew his cologne came from Paris and it was one of her favorite scents.

"Lizzie, I love you," he says suddenly. Lizzie looks up and meet his eyes. Green eyes meet ocean blue eyes. They lock onto one another, not breaking contact. "I'm sorry," his eyes moisten once again. "I am a bastard. A bastard who doesn't know how good he has it until he hears the love of his life sobbing on the phone. A bastard who needs you in his life. Who wants to spend his life with you. Who wants to raise this little girl with you," he lays his hand onto her stomach.

"Oh!" Lizzie exclaims as their daughter kicks where Ray's hand was. "Oh My God," tears spring to her eyes, falling down her cheek. Ray frowns at her face.

"She's moved before, but I've never really felt her kick before. She knows you are her daddy."

"Papa," he replies. She gives him a questioning look. "I was fortunate enough to be Jennifer's Daddy. I want to be her Papa."

"Her Papa then." More tears fall down Lizzie's cheek as she pulls Ray's face to hers. Their lips meet for the first time in almost 5 months. She groans when Ray presses his lips against her harder. She pulls away when the need to breathe arose. "Are you staying?" she asks once her breathing got under control.

"As long as you will have me," he replies. She smiles before throwing herself at him. He laughs as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Do you remember when you got me that video camera? You said I should 'create memories' or something to that effect. We were in bed when we first used it." She watches as he smiles and nods. "Well, I played it for the baby. You were telling stories about the places you've been and the people you've met. I had Aram, very discreetly, make a sound file from that video of you talking. He put it on my IPod for me so I can play it for the baby, so she knows the sound of your voice."

Ray places his hand on the underside of Lizzie's chin and pulls it up, making eye contact with Lizzie. "You are an incredible creature Elizabeth Scott," he says as a tear falls down his cheek. A light goes off over Lizzie's head and she gets up off the couch and rushes into the kitchen. She grabs the DVD off the couch and walks back into the living room. Red watches her with a frown on his face, wondering what she was doing. He continues watching her as she fumbles with something in her hands and then a DVD player that was on the TV stand. She then takes her place on the couch, curling herself into Ray before pressing play.

He lets out a gasp as the sonogram comes onto the screen. "Oh, Lizzie," he says, a look of wonder on his face.

"You like?" she asks.

"I definitely like. I cannot wait for Dembe to see this."

Lizzie chuckles. "Are you okay with us having a girl?" Ray turns to Lizzie, a solemn expression on his face. Lizzie catches his gaze and then looks down as Ray takes one of her hands into his.

"I am. Yes. I was kind of hoping for a boy, but I am more than okay with us having a girl. It's going to be hard, I won't lie. Jennifer and Carla were my life back then, and in a way I will always love them. But you and this little one, you are my future. I am doing and will do everything in my power to protect you both."

Lizzie lays her hand onto his cheek. "I know you will. But promise me you will not ever leave. Because I want you to know that if you ever, and I mean ever, pull a stunt like you did the last few months, I will disappear and you will never see us again. You've taught me a few things Ray. I know how to hide and not be found."

"I found you quiet easily this time," he says with a chuckle, but he knew her threat was real.

"I wasn't trying to hide," amusement crosses her face. He smiles at her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her face to his for another mind-numbing kiss. She breaks away smiling. She grabs his hand and places it on her stomach as she lays her head onto his shoulder. She holds her hand over his as they both feel their daughter move and kick underneath their hands. She closes her eyes, feeling peace for the first time in almost five months.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie was close to sleep when her front door swings open, banging against the wall. Ray and Lizzie both startle, hearing the noise. Ray is immediately on guard and then sighs in relief as Ressler comes into the living room, gun drawn. Ressler looks at the two and sighs. He had started to panic when Liz hadn't answered her phone. He had booked it out of the Post Office, fearing the worst. With all the criminals they had put away and with Ray's past, he didn't know what could have happened to her.

He was surprised to come into her living room to see Liz curled up with Reddington on the couch. "What's with the gun?" Lizzie asks, trying to calm her breathing after Ressler scared the hell out of the two them.

"You didn't answer your phone. I was worried about you," he says holstering his gun. He disappears and they hear the front door close. He comes back into the living room and stands in front of the two, putting his hands onto his hips.

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine," she remarks.

"Yeah, I see that," he snaps. Ressler sighs as he looks between Reddington and Lizzie. "When did you get back?" Ray gets up, standing to his full height.

"Does it matter? What matters is that I am back," he says. He feels Lizzie take his hand from where she was still on the couch. Ressler looks between the two. How could Liz forgive him for everything he did to her? He shakes his head, not understanding. He knew she was still hung up on him, but come on. Forgiving him that easily? "I'm going to have to take you in."

"What? No!" Lizzie yells getting up from the couch and wrapping her arms around Ray.

"Liz, he has to come in. Cooper is going to want to talk to him about his time…away," Ressler chooses the last word carefully.

"Lizzie, it's okay," Ray says turning Liz to look at him.

Tears start falling down her cheeks. "No, no it's not okay, they are going to arrest you and then…I can't…I don't…" she gasps out. Ressler watches the scene that was very much the same from when Red had left. Lizzie clings to Ray, tears falling down both of their cheeks.

Ray wraps his arms around Lizzie and lays his head on her shoulder. "I love you both so much," he lays his hand onto her stomach, where their daughter was, who kicks his hand hard.

"You come back to me Raymond Reddington. Do you hear me? You come back to me," she points a finger into his chest and then brings her face to his. They both could taste each other's tears. Ray pulls away walking toward Ressler. Lizzie grabs his hand at the last second. Ray turns to look at her and that was a big mistake. He takes a few steps, wrapping his arms around Lizzie once again. She sobs as she clings to him. He pulls her face to his and kisses her like it would be the last time.

"I love you," he says. "I love you both so much. I will let Dembe know what's going on. He will protect you both," he rubs his hand over her belly and then walks away. Lizzie closes her eyes. She couldn't watch him walk away.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

Ressler leads Red out of Liz's apartment and to the elevator. He jabs at the down button and they wait patiently and quietly. They hear a door open and they both turn to see one of Lizzie's neighbors walk out, a somewhat elderly woman with a purpose in her step. She sees the two men and smiles warmly at them.

"Donald," she says giving Ressler a smile.

"Hello Mrs. Jones," Ressler says giving the older woman a warm smile. Red looks the woman over briefly and then turns to Ressler, wondering just how much the young agent had been over to Lizzie's if he was on a name basis with her neighbors.

"Please, call me Alysha," she remarks. She turns to look at Red, eyeing him. "And who is this devilishly handsome man?" she asks with a smirk.

"Raymond Reddington," Red replies with a smile. He winks at Ressler who scowls.

"Are you Lizzie's Ray?" she asks with a delightful laugh. "She has said nothing but good things about you. Oh, it's so wonderful to meet you." She steps forward and gives him a hug. Ressler laughs at Red's deer in headlights look. Alysha steps back missing Red's subtle look at the other man. Ressler shrugs, trying to hide his smirk.

"Lizzie's talked about me?" Red asks delighted.

"Oh, yes. Donald, how is she doing? Did she find out what she was having?" Red narrows his eyes, wanting to know if she was fishing for something, or was just genuinely curious.

"She just found out that she is having a little girl," Ressler tells her. He smiles when the elevator finally arrives. They get on and the doors shut.

"Oh, how wonderful. I remember when my daughter was born. She was a smart girl."

"Was?" Red's own curiosity piqued.

"Oh, I lost her in a car accident when she was 21. The guy was driving drunk when it happened. I lost my husband about two years after that to cancer. It took him away before we even knew what happened."

"And you never moved on?" Red asks. He makes no noise when Ressler subtlety elbows him.

Alysha shakes her head. "I loved my family. I had many good years with them. I date here and there, but I like my freedom," she shrugs her shoulders. Thinking of his own situation, Red couldn't help but admire her resilience, her restraint. He was, is, in her shoes, the only difference was that he took action. The elevator comes to a stop and they all file out. Ressler tries to guide Red to where his SUV was, but Red shakes him off.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Mrs. Jones," Red lays the charm on.

Alysha shakes her head, chuckling. "Lizzie said you were a charmer. Well, good day to you both and I hope to see you soon. Donald, I want some more of that lasagna next time you come over to Lizzie's to make it. It was divine."

"Of course, Mrs. Jones," Ressler replies with a slight blush. "If all goes well, maybe tonight."

Alysha lays her hand onto Ressler's cheek. "You are such a good man." With that she turns on her heel and walks away. Ressler turns and meets Red's narrowed eyes.

"Get in the damn car," Ressler snaps to Red, guiding him to his SUV. Ressler pulls out a pair of handcuffs. "I didn't want to make a damn spectacle. Especially in Liz's place."

"Oh, yes," Red sarcastically remarks. "Since everyone seems to know you. Don't think I missed how you nodded to the doorman." Red lapses into silence. Ressler opens the back door and looks at Red. "Oh, no. I'm not sitting in the back. You can just as easily cuff me while I'm in the front seat." Ressler rolls his eyes watching as Red rounds the front of the car and gets into the front seat. Ressler follows Red into the car but before he could even shut the door, Red asks, "Just how often are you over here that everyone seems to know you?"

Ressler sighs, knowing this conversation was coming. "Listen, I won't sugar coat anything here. When you left, she was…" he pauses gathering his words, "bad. I have known Liz a couple of years now, and I've never seen her like this. She cried non-stop. For a while, I thought Cooper was going to bench her. She was reckless. Until one day, we were chasing down a suspect and he turned the tables on us. Pulled a 180° and came after us. Knocked Liz down. And she went down hard. I told her not to move and called an ambulance. She had a couple of new bumps and bruises. The baby was okay, and that's all that really mattered. Cooper benched her after that. She wasn't allowed in the field."

"Oh God," Red lets out.

Ressler turns to look at the criminal. "Do you want me to continue?" he waits until Red nods his head. "I knew she was looking at apartments. She told me she didn't want to live in a place that reminded her so much of you. She went to look at a few places and took me with her. She wanted my opinion. We've gotten closer. She's my best friend. Did I want you to come back? No! Because I knew this was going to happen. I knew I or someone else was going to have to take you into custody and it would break her heart all over again. I don't know what's going to happen when we get back to the Post Office. I don't know if you are ever going to see the light of day again. I don't know what Lizzie is going to do. We've managed to keep you and Liz's relationship a secret, as well as the fact that she's carrying your baby. But those things have a way of coming to light sooner or later." He looks at Red, trying to gauge the older man's reaction. But Red let nothing out, let nothing be known. Ressler pulls his phone out as it starts to ring. "Hey, Aram."

"Are you with Agent Keen?" Aram asked, his voice hushed.

"Just left her place. I'm bringing in the Package," he replies to the computer tech.

"Someone found out. They are after Liz. You gotta warn her. Cooper told me to protect her at all costs," Aram rushes out.

"What?" Ressler yells jarring Red from his thoughts. "Let me call you back." He hangs up on Aram and hands the phone out to Red. "Call Dembe. Tell him Liz is in trouble and to get her out of there." Red takes the phone from Ressler and dials a number. He speaks to his bodyguard quickly and then hangs up.

"It's done," Red says handing the phone back to Ressler.

Ressler calls Cooper instead of Aram. "Agent Ressler? Is it done?"

"Yes Sir," Ressler replies back. "Is it safe? I'm bringing the package in," Ressler looks over at Red and then back to the road.

"It's safe," Cooper says. "So he's back?"

"Yes, Sir. And I'm bringing him in as we speak."

"Good," and with that Cooper hangs up.

"Listen, I know you don't want to hear this or maybe you do, but I promised her that I would be there for her. Like I said before, I don't know what's going to happen when we get to the Post Office. But I meant every word I said to her. That little girl is going to need a father. And if you're in jail, you aren't going to be much of one. I will be everything that that little girl needs and whatever Liz needs from me as well."

Red stays quiet. He didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't want to respond to that. He wanted to be with his Lizzie raising their little girl together, but he had to be realistic. He wasn't sure if he was going to be around to raise her. He wanted to give Lizzie the world. He wanted to give her as many kids as she wanted. He wanted to drop down on one knee and give her the ring of her dreams. He wanted to watch her walk down the aisle in a white dress, or whatever color she wanted. He wanted to be by her side as she gave birth, but Ressler was right. They didn't know what they were walking into. He didn't want to be pessimistic, he wasn't that guy. But after his few months away, things weren't looking so good. If he wanted anyone raising his daughter, it would Donald Ressler. He was a standup guy, when he wasn't slipping on banana peels. And Lizzie seemed to accept him, as both a best friend and confidante.

"Okay," Red finally says. "They will want for nothing. Do you hear me? I have everything set up for Lizzie and the baby. Dembe knows everything. And he doesn't leave her side, either of them. Even if I'm dropped into the deepest hole the US can find, I don't want Dembe leaving Lizzie's side. Or the baby's."

"Nora," Ressler replies. Red shoots the agent a questioning look. "She really likes the name Nora. She was going over baby names one night and when she saw Nora, she just liked it."

"Nora," Red speaks the name and then smiles. "Does she have a middle name picked out?"

Ressler pauses. "I'm not sure. She wanted something that meant something to you, I think. But I don't know if she picked something out yet."

"Jane. My mother's name was Jane."

"Nora Jane," Ressler tries. "It's cute. If I see her before you then I will tell her. I will circle the block. Call Liz. Say goodbye."

Red takes Ressler's phone once again. He dials the number for Dembe. He listens to it ring for a few seconds.

"Ray?" Lizzie asks.


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

"Lizzie," Ray murmurs her name.

"What is going on? Dembe shows up and tells me there's trouble and we need to go. Tells me I can only pack a little bag and the rest would be taken care of. Tells me to leave my phone. Ray, what's going on?" she cries into the phone, each word breaking his heart piece by piece.

"Someone found out. Aram called Ressler and he had me call Dembe. He is there to protect you. I can't be with you right now. But know this: I love you both with everything I am." He braces himself on the dashboard as Ressler slams on the brakes. Red watches as the agent gets out and closes the door behind him, giving Red some semblance of privacy.

"God, Ray, I cannot do this without you. I just got you back and I… I can't…I don't want to," she gasps out. Red could hear murmuring in the background. He could tell the soft timbre of Dembe's voice. He was trying to calm Lizzie down. "I cannot have this baby without you."

"Our little Nora," Red struggles against his own tears.

"Ressler told you?" Lizzie asks through tears.

"I would like her middle name to be Jane. It was my mother's name."

"Our little Nora Jane," Lizzie says sobbing.

"I promise to be there as soon as I can. I promise no matter how long it takes, I will be there," Red says brushing his tears away.

"And I promise to be here, waiting for you," she replies. "I love you Raymond Reddington."

"I love you Elizabeth Scott. Let me speak to Dembe please." He hears the phone being passed between hands. "Dembe, it your job to protect Elizabeth and our little girl. I can take care of myself, but Elizabeth can't. Not right now. And you protect my baby girl with your life."

"I understand Raymond. They will both be in safe hands. You have my word brother." There was a soft murmuring and Dembe chuckles. "Liz wanted me to tell you, to tell Ressler not to forget about his date on Friday." Red smiles and shakes his head. Knowing Dembe was going to protect them both made Red feel so much better. He gets off the phone and watches as Donald gets into the car. Ressler hands Red the handcuffs and quickly puts them on.

"Lizzie wanted me to remind you about your date on Friday," Red chuckles. Ressler rolls his eyes before pulling back into traffic. They get to the Post Office a minute later.

"I'm gonna hate myself later for this, but uh, I will try to get you back to Liz if it's at all possible," Ressler remarks before getting out of the car. He heads toward the passenger seat and helps Red out.

Red pulls at the handcuffs and smirks. "Lizzie and I were quite fond of using cuffs. There is something about Lizzie that she tends to lead in her everyday life that made her want to get cuffed in the bedroom. Although, ours were specially made. Only the finest leather in our cuffs," Red muses. Ressler shudders at that thought.

"I just promised to look after your daughter, I don't want to know how she was made," Ressler scowls.

Red chuckles as the agent leads the criminal into the elevator. It was time to face the music.

~*~ TBL ~*~

"Dembe, where are we going?" Lizzie asks the bodyguard. She was sitting in the backseat of the Mercedes. She had to admit, the leather interior was comfortable.

"For now, we are heading to the airport. Raymond has made sure to have everything we need in such an emergency. He has prepared for everything," with that Dembe focuses on the road in front of him. Lizzie leans back and settles her hand on her stomach feeling her daughter practicing her somersaults. She turns her head and watches as the scenery of DC flies by. They pull into the airstrip a few minutes later, Liz grabs her small bag and allows Dembe to help her out of the car.

"What about my doctor's appointments?" Liz asks turning to look at Dembe.

"There is a doctor where we are going. Like I said, Raymond had prepared for everything. He knew this would happen eventually and made the preparations."

"The baby?" Lizzie asks, unsure of where the bodyguard was going with this.

Dembe shakes his head smiling. If only she knew what Raymond had done for her and what he would do for her. "Liz, Raymond has been concerned about your relationship since the beginning. He knew that if it was ever found out, you would be charged as being an accomplice. He wanted to make sure you would never see the inside of a jail cell. He wanted to make sure that you were okay if anything were to happen to him. So we had a code if he ever got caught. But luckily your Agent Ressler allowed him to make the call to me, to tell me to get you out of dodge. Your boss, Cooper, made Aram warn Ressler that they had found out and were coming to arrest you."

Liz's face drains of all color. "They were coming to arrest me? For thinking I was in cahoots with Ray?"

Dembe nods. "They think you and Red are playing everyone. That's why Cooper warned Ressler, and Ressler warned Red. Everyone you work with knows the truth. But Cooper's bosses don't want to believe any of it. You are guilty by association."

Liz wraps her arms around her stomach, suddenly feeling cold. "It's all my fault," she murmurs.

Dembe guides her towards Red's jet. "It's not your fault. Nothing is your fault. They are looking for a scapegoat and you are it. Imagine if that were to get out: the FBI agent and the Criminal?" Lizzie stares off into the distance, thinking over what Dembe had said. "Come, we don't have much time. They are sure to check here if they don't find you at your apartment."

Lizzie climbs the stairs into the jet and takes a seat, looking around. She had been on his jet before, but it had been a while. Nothing had changed. She watches Dembe talk to who she assumed was the pilot. The pilot disappears and Dembe takes a seat across the aisle from her. "You should buckle up. We are going to leave as soon as we can," he tells her.

Lizzie nods her head and buckles. Soon enough they were taxiing down the runway. Lizzie leans her seat back and closes her eyes. All this cloak and dagger stuff was exhausting, but she was growing a baby, so she was exhausted all the time anyway. She could feel sleep coming on strong. The cabin was cold and she shivers slightly. She could feel a blanket being draped over her and she absentmindedly pulls it closer to herself, falling asleep in seconds.

"Liz," she slowly comes to, opening her eyes she turns to look at Dembe. He was crouched down next to her seat. She blinks a few times, then sits up.

"Everything okay," she pushes the blanket off of her, feeling hot.

"Everything is fine. We are here," Dembe gestures toward the door that stood open, the stairs descending down onto the tarmac.

"Where is here?" she asks getting up. She grabs her bag off the seat next to her and follows Dembe out of the cabin. She steps outside and wipes the beads of moisture off her forehead. It was hot.

"Cuba," Dembe tells her with a grin.


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

 **Very Lizzie and Dembe centric in this chapter. No Ray. Hope you guys like it anyway.**

~*~ TBL ~*~

It had been about two months since Dembe had come for her. That someone had found out she was in a relationship with the fourth most wanted on the FBI's list. Dembe had told her to grab a small bag and a few things and then he had taken her away. Brought her straight to the airport and to Red's jet.

They were in the air within five minutes. She had fallen asleep on the jet and when Dembe had woken her, they were in Cuba. Cuba! She knew Cuba had an extradition treaty if they were ever to find her and Dembe, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. She knew Ray wanted her and their little Nora safe.

So all she had been doing the past few weeks was walk on the beach. She loved it here, and it would be the perfect place to raise their baby. She would miss the Post Office and her job, but she would have Ray, she hoped, and their baby. She leans back in the beach chair, getting herself comfortable.

"Liz," Dembe comes out of the house. She turns to see him standing on the porch in a pair of khaki's and a flowered print button down shirt.

"That is a very becoming shirt Dembe," Liz jokes. The bodyguard flashes a smile at the agent. "What's going on?" Liz asks eyeing the burner phone he was holding. He only turned it on once a day in case anyone tried tracking it.

"Agent Ressler left a message," he explains.

"Ressler? What did he say?" Lizzie tries to pull herself out of the lounge chair, but had trouble with her growing belly. She swings her legs over and stands, pushing on the back of the chair.

"He just said to call him back when we got the message. It was time stamped last night."

"Did you try calling him back?" Lizzie questions. Dembe shakes his head, holding the phone out. Lizzie takes it and dials Ressler's number.

"Ressler," came her partner's voice.

"Ress, it's me. We just got your message. Everything okay?"

"I don't know Liz. The higher ups wanted Reddington moved to a more secure location. The caravan was ambushed. I was with him when it happened. They didn't want me coming. But Reddington refused to leave the box without someone he trusted. I offered to go."

"Is everyone okay?" Lizzie puts her hand onto Dembe's arm to steady herself. She didn't know when he had come off the porch.

"Yeah, I got a little banged up. Red suffered a blow to the head. He had a gash over his eye, but other than that, he seemed okay."

"What do you mean he seemed okay?" she asks. "They didn't extract him? Whoever led the ambush?"

"Apparently we had two cars with us. I had no idea we had anyone else with us. They were all plain clothed. We had to head to the hospital. Reddington needed stitches. I went to go talk to him and he had bolted out the window. Just like…"

"The Zamani case," Lizzie finishes. "So you don't know where he is?"

"He's in the wind. He was willing to cooperate with us again. But he wouldn't until he talked to you. The higher ups obviously didn't know where you were. Cooper is trying to smooth things over with them. He wants to continue with the blacklist, but they are playing hardball."

"And let me guess, you aren't supposed to be telling me any of this."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know how to get touch with you. I don't know where you are. I don't know anything," he jokes. "Try to check this phone tonight. I will leave you a message if we get anything new."

"Thanks Ress," she gets off the phone and hands it off to Dembe.

"Everything okay Liz?" he asks with concern. Her hand was still on his arm.

"Yes, no, I don't know. Someone wanted to move Ray to a secure location, but they were ambushed. Ressler said they had other people guarding them, other people he didn't know about. They managed to hold the ambushers off. Ray got a blow to the head and a cut over his eye. Ressler said he escaped when he was in the hospital. Right out the window."

"He hasn't got in touch with me," Dembe tells her.

"I know. You would have told me if he did. I trust you," Lizzie says. "Ressler says to check the phone tonight. He will leave a message if there is anything new."

"Okay. I am going to make some lunch, would you like anything?"

"Just a sandwich. Do we have any of that fruit salad left?"

"I think we might have a bowl left. That's all you've been eating."

"I know, it's so good," she says taking a seat back in the lounge chair. She thinks about the conversation she had with Ressler. She hoped they were all okay. She couldn't help but worry about Ray. She knew he could take care of himself. But as the father of her daughter, the love of her life, she still worried.

She should have asked more about her boss, her friends, but Ressler didn't want to reveal too much and she understood. If someone found out Ressler had talked to her, they were all in trouble. Dembe comes out of the house a few minutes later carrying a plate in one hand and a bottle of sunscreen in the other. He walks down the two steps and then hands Liz the plate.

Her eyes light up when she sees the small bowl of fruit on her plate. Her and these damn pregnancy cravings. She takes the plate from Dembe and immediately grabs a piece of fruit. "Thank you Dembe," she says between bites.

"You're welcome. I also brought you this," he holds out the bottle of sunscreen. "You are turning a little pink. Raymond would kill me if he found you in less than perfect condition. Would you like something to drink?"

"Water please," she says. Dembe nods and heads back into the house. He comes right back and hands Liz a bottle of water.

She takes it while eating her sandwich. "You know Dembe, you are going to make some woman a mighty fine husband one day."

He grins at her. "Why thank you Liz. We have to run to the market tomorrow. You are pretty much eating us out of house and home. Would you like to come?"

"Ooh, yes please." She felt like this is how they spend their days. Making idle talk about trips to the market and getting messages from Ressler, as few and far between as they were, and Kaplan. Dembe and Lizzie mainly keep to themselves. Dembe supplying Lizzie with books whenever she finished the ones she had. The house was small compared to what they were probably used to, but it was homely. She liked that about it. It didn't seem grand and cold compared to some of the places she witnessed Ray and Dembe staying at in the few years she knew them.

~*~ TBL ~*~

The next afternoon after an early lunch they decide to head to the market. They putter around trying to find things both Dembe and Lizzie liked. Her sundress was white and did nothing to hide her pregnant belly. She thought she was going to be one of those woman who tried to hide it behind bulky sweaters or sweatshirts, but she was surprised when she had no such urge. She liked showing off her baby. She could do without the complete strangers touching her belly though. It was like there was a sign on her forehead 'I'm pregnant, touch me!' But with Dembe around the touching didn't come as often. A few brave souls tried, but one look from the bodyguard and they retracted their hands quickly.

On their way home after the market Lizzie lays her head back against the headrest. She wanted a nap. She needed a nap. What she really wanted was Ray, but since he wasn't here, she would just have to make do. They pull up to the house and Lizzie helps Dembe with some of their groceries, but as soon as Dembe walks onto the front porch he pauses, taking a look around. He puts the bags down before withdrawing his gun.

"Get into the car," he tells Lizzie.

"What?" she asks also taking a look around. Nothing seemed out of place, but she knew Dembe well enough to know he thought there was something wrong. "Give me a gun," she remarks softly. Dembe looks at her sharply. "I may be pregnant, but that doesn't mean I can't fire a gun if need be."

Dembe rolls his eyes. "There is a backup piece underneath the driver's side." She puts her bags down and gets in the car grabbing the backup piece. She follows Dembe and they slowly walk through the house. They check each room, but don't find anything amiss. "Go through your things. Make sure nothing is missing."

Liz does what she's told and walks into the master bedroom. She looks through her stuff, but doesn't find anything missing. She walks back into the living room to find Dembe looking around. "Nothing is missing in my room. Is there anything missing here?" Dembe shakes his head. "What do you think about all this?"

"I don't know. I think we should change locations soon though. If someone found out that we are here, then it cannot be long until your government comes looking for you." Lizzie thinks about that for a moment and then turns walking to the front door. She grabs a few bags and brings them into the kitchen. Dembe follows suit, grabbing the rest of the bags. "I want you to be alert the next few days while I make arrangements to move to a new location. Don't let your guard down once."

"Alright," she says with a nod. Dembe knew how hard it was for Lizzie to relinquish control like she was doing. He also knew she was doing it for baby Nora. He had promised Raymond that he would protect them, and that's what he was doing. The two work in silence putting the groceries away, each lost in their own thoughts. "I'm going to go outside. Do you need any help with anything else?" she asks, grabbing a book she had been reading off the couch. She also grabs the bottle of sunscreen and a towel before walking out and down to the beach. She lays her towel on the lounge chair and pulls her dress off, revealing her white bikini. She lathers herself with sunscreen before taking a seat on the chair.

For all she tried she couldn't concentrate on her book. All she could think about was that someone could have been in their house. She liked this place. She didn't want to leave. She drops her book onto the sand, finally giving up. She looks out over the ocean. Only then does she feel the eyes on her. She looks around but finds no one. She could see a few beach goers down the beach some ways, but that was it.

She turns the other way only to see someone walking down the beach. She couldn't tell who it was, because the person was still too far away. She keeps an eye on the person, and as they got closer she could tell it was a man. A man who was wearing a suit? On the beach? She gasps before getting up slowly. "Dembe!"


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

She could hear Dembe run onto the porch before she takes off. She runs as fast as her body could carry her. She watches as the man stops, but continues running. Tears start falling down her face as she rushes into Ray's arms. She snakes her arms around his neck while he stumbles backwards, chuckling as he wraps her in a hug.

"Oh my God," she cries.

"It's alright, Sweetheart. I'm here," Ray murmurs. Lizzie pulls back a fraction before pulling his face to hers. Their kiss was sweet and hot. She didn't ever want to be separated from him again. She breaks the kiss as they are both breathing heavily. "Lizzie. My Lizzie." he pulls her closer to him, her belly the only thing separating them. She buries her face into his neck, tears still falling down her cheeks.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," she cries. "When Ressler told me what happened…" she trails off, noticing a bandage on his neck. "What is this?" she asks fingering the bandage.

"While I was in the hospital and out of it, they put a tracking chip in my neck. That's why it took me so long to come here. I went to see a friend and they removed it. They think I'm across the Atlantic right now." Lizzie stares at him, giggling. He takes a step back, holding her hands while looking her up and down. "I must say, Agent Scott, you are looking mighty fine."

Lizzie laughs while blushing. "Why, thank you Mr. Reddington."

"I love that sound," he closes his eyes as he listens to the sound of her laughter. A smile spreads across his face as he feels her lips on his. Ray opens his eyes as Lizzie takes a step back.

"Come. Maybe you can get Dembe to calm down a little," she loops her arm through his and leads him towards the house.

"Oh, Sweetheart, of all the time you've spent with him when are you going to learn? Dembe is never calm," he jokes. He untangles his arm from hers, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She takes her now free arm and wraps it around his waist. He drops a kiss onto the side of her head.

"I'm so glad you are back. I missed you so much," Lizzie tells him.

"I missed you as well. My life got that much darker without you in it."

"I would say the same, but I've been practically living on the beach since we got here, so…" she jokes. She laughs at the look on Ray's face. They continue walking basking in the presence of each other. "You know, I cannot wait to get you alone," she whispers into his ear. "Maybe we can have a _nap_ later." He smirks at her as they approach the house. Dembe grins widely at the two.

"Raymond, you are just in time. We were getting ready to move on. Someone was in the house earlier."

"Oh, so you didn't recognize my scent?" he turns to look at Lizzie, remembering she had told him about Ressler calling her a bloodhound.

"You were in our house?" she asks. "Wow, I think my nose is broken. I didn't smell anything." Ray laughs before putting a hand on Dembe's shoulder.

"Had to keep you on your toes somehow. I was wondering when you guys were coming back. How long does one take to go to the market anyway?"

"Well, Liz had to smell everything and if there was something her nose didn't like we didn't get it," Dembe jokes. "I think she ate half of everything we got anyway."

Lizzie pouts. "I did not. Okay, yes, maybe the fruit. But nothing else. Maybe that should be my superpower," she joins along in the jokes at her expense.

"Well, thank you friend. Thank you for caring for them, and protecting them," with that he runs his hand over Lizzie's stomach. He grins when the baby kicks. "Well, she knows her Papa is home. Come," he starts guiding her to the stairs.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"We are going for that _nap_. I missed you," he tells her. He smiles when she laughs. Dembe smiles while watching the two of them. He shakes his head as he hears Lizzie moan. It was definitely good to have Raymond back. He turns and heads to the porch, hoping Agent Ressler had called and left a message. They didn't get one last night, but that just meant there was probably nothing to report.

~*~ TBL ~*~

"Everything seems to be looking good," the doctor tells Lizzie. "Your daughter is growing exactly how she should be. She's right on schedule. No pain or contractions?"

Lizzie shakes her head. "No, all I want to do is sleep now," she jokes.

The doctor smiles, "Well, that's pretty normal at this stage. You start pregnancy with wanting to sleep and you end your pregnancy with wanting to sleep."

"Oh, yes, I know all about that. Thank you again," Lizzie sits up and watches the doctor make a few notes on the laptop in front of her.

"How is everything at home? You taking your vitamins and getting exercise?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Been doing my yoga and walking on the beach."

"Good, good. Just remember that you could start contractions at any time. You're close enough to your due date that if you went into labor tomorrow your daughter would be perfectly healthy," the doctor says. Lizzie nods in understanding. "Alright, I will see you next week." Lizzie watches as the doctor gathers the laptop and leaves the exam room. Only about one to two weeks before they get to meet little Nora. She couldn't wait. This part of the pregnancy seems to drag on and on. She smiles as she leaves.

She heads to the front desk and makes her appointment before turning to where Dembe was sitting. He looked so out of place among the couples and mothers waiting to be seen.

She wanted to go back to the house. She wanted to go back to Ray. She didn't like being away from him. Since he came back a couple of weeks ago, they hadn't been away from each other for more than a few hours and that was due to her doctor's appointments. Dembe had advised them that the less Raymond Reddington was seen, the better.

"Can we head to the market?" she asks Dembe as they head for the stairwell. "We don't have any fruit in the house."

"Of course," Dembe shakes his head with a smile.

~*~ TBL ~*~

"Where have the two of you been?" Red asks as they walk in the door after their trip to the market.

"Liz wanted some more fruit. We didn't have any left," Dembe tells the concerned father.

Red turns to look at Lizzie. "Don't look at me like that. Are you really going to deny your daughter the one thing she wants?" she asks walking up to Red and wrapping her arms around his neck. His face softens and he gives her a quick kiss.

"No, I guess I can't," he jokes. "You look tired Sweetheart."

"I am. Its tiring growing a baby." Red smiles at Lizzie and leads her to the couch. He takes a seat and pulls Lizzie down onto the couch next to him. He grabs one of the throw pillows and puts it on his lap and then pats it. "Lay down, sweetheart. Rest." Lizzie places her head on the pillows and then gets comfortable. Red runs his fingers through her hair as she closes her eyes, enjoying his touch. She falls asleep a few minutes later.


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

Lizzie wakes up, taking a look around. She yawns as she tries to figure out what woke her. She turns to see Ray sleeping peacefully next to her. She looks around as the room lights up briefly, then a boom of thunder could be heard. Only a storm, she realizes.

"Oh," she gasps out. She lays a hand onto her stomach as it tightens. _Contraction_ , she thinks. She has been preparing for this. The doctor told her what to expect. She wanted to shake Ray awake, so he could be with her, but it wasn't fair to him. She knew that if they were just starting then she had a while to go. Her water hadn't even broken yet.

She lays back down, snuggling up to Ray. "Everything okay sweetheart?" his voice rough.

"Yeah, storm woke me. Go back to sleep," she whispers. Ray leans over and gives her a light kiss before pulling her closer to him. She listens as his breathing evens out before letting out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to worry him. She could do this. Women were born to do this.

She slides out from underneath Ray's arm and goes into the bathroom. She grabs a glass of water before gripping the sink as another contraction comes. She turns and lays her hand onto her heart when she sees Ray standing in the doorway. "You gave me a heart attack. Why are you sneaking up behind me like that?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he replies. "You didn't sound so convincing before."

"Ray, I'm fine," she tells him, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning up to give him a kiss. "I was just a little thirsty. Go back to bed."

She drops her arms as he takes a step away. Red takes her hand into his, pulling her back towards the bed. "Come, sweetheart."

"Do you mind if I read for a while? I'm awake now," Red nods his head in affirmation. She grabs her IPad off the nightstand and powers it up. She watches as he pushes his button down shirt apart, the only thing that she really fit into now, baring her belly. Ray leans over and gives it a light kiss. He runs his hand over their daughter and stops, looking at her as another contraction hit.

"Just as I suspected," he remarks. "How long have you been having them?"

"When I woke up is when I felt the first one. The doctor told me I was dilated about 3 cm when I went in the other day, but I still had a ways to go. It could be days before I felt any contractions or anything. I know how much you worry about me, so I didn't want to say anything just yet."

"I understand. Come lay down with me. Rest while you can," he tells her.

"Would you like to watch a movie with me? We can lay down and watch some Netflix."

Red nods his head. "That sounds wonderful," he tells her. She lays down and starts up the Netflix app on the IPad. They scroll through their choices and finally decide on Sons of Anarchy. Lizzie settles her head onto Red's shoulder, but freezes as another contraction comes on. Red rubs her stomach while watching her. "They are coming on fast. Do you want to head to the hospital?"

"No, I'm okay. My water hasn't even broken yet. I'm gonna wait, and then we can discuss it after my water breaks. They aren't going to do anything at the hospital anyway."

Red nods his head. "Okay sweetheart. Just tell me when you are ready to go."

Lizzie nods against him, before handing the IPad to Ray. He takes hold of it before she presses play. Ray could feel her start to settle in next to him, every few minutes he would feel her tense, and then breathe out slowly.

"This is very violent," she remarks with a yawn. "But I have to admit, the older guy, is kinda cute," she slurs. Sleep was starting to overtake her. She blinks a few times, trying to stay awake.

Ray turns his head, and drops a kiss onto Lizzie's forehead. "Sleep while you can. I will stay awake," his words were lost on deaf ears as Lizzie had already fallen asleep. He could feel her breaths on his arm. He lays his hand onto her stomach. He could feel it tightening and loosening as her contractions came and went.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie once again jolted awake, but this time it wasn't because of a thunderstorm. She felt a pressure on her bladder. She swings her legs over the side of the bed, not seeing Ray. The sun was shining brightly. Before getting up she takes a look at the clock on her bedside table. It was blinking at her. Did they lose power at some point? She shakes her head and continues on her way to the bathroom. She grabs the door jamb as another contraction hit. "Oh God," she moans. She takes a step into the bathroom when she feels it. She looks down to see a puddle on the floor. "Ray!" she calls out. There was no answer and she couldn't hear anything. "Red!" she yells once again. She turns and walks over to the window. She could see Ray and Dembe standing on the lawn talking to someone. She grips the nightstand as another contraction hits. She looks up to see Dembe staring up at the window. She waves to him, and then points to Ray. She watches as Dembe leans over to talk to Red. Red turns to look at Lizzie who then waves to him. He holds up a finger telling her to wait. She pulls the window open. "Raymond Reddington so help me God…" she trails off as another contraction comes on, this time stronger.

Red immediately runs into the house and up the stairs. "Lizzie?"

"My water broke, so it's safe to say it's time to head to the hospital," she gets out. Red comes to stand next to her and she grabs his hand as yet another contraction hit. "They are coming faster and more painful."

"Alright, let's get you some clothes on. I will have Dembe grab your bag and get the car ready," she watches as he grabs her a pair of yoga pants and another one of his button down shirts. He goes to the window.

"Dembe, it's go time," he yells out the window before shutting and locking it. He turns to see Lizzie getting dressed. Once she finally gets dressed she gives Ray a strained smile. A tear falls down her cheek.

"It hurts Ray," she says.

He wraps her up in a hug, giving her a kiss on the side of the head. "It's alright sweetheart. We'll get you to the hospital," he wraps his arm around her waist and leads her out of the room and down the stairs. Dembe was standing in the doorway with Lizzie's bag in his hand.

The trip to the hospital was fairly quick. Her doctor meets them on the labor and delivery floor, Ray having called the hospital from the car. "Ah," Lizzie says grabbing Ray's hand as another contraction comes on strong.

Ray rubs her back as she breathes through the contraction. "You okay?"

"Yeah, that one hurt," she tells him. Red helps her into a wheelchair that an orderly brought over. The doctor brings her into a room and hands her a gown to change into.

"Get undressed, everything off," the doctor says.

"If you don't mind, I have my own," she tells the doctor. The doctor nods her head. "Ray, can you get the nightgown out of my bag?" Ray drops a kiss onto her head before retrieving the bag from Dembe. He comes back with the bag and places it on the bed before starting to look for the nightgown.

"I will let your husband help you. I will back in a few minutes. You wanted an epidural correct?"

"Yes," Lizzie says. The doctor leaves and Ray helps her out of the wheelchair. He watches as Lizzie tenses once again. He grabs her hand and pulls her to him. "God," she breathes out as she buries her face into his neck. "It hurts so bad."

"I know sweetheart. I know. But just think about the end result. We get to hold our daughter. Our little Nora," he murmurs into her ear. He helps her breathe through her contraction. He could tell when the contraction finally passed when she started to breathe a little easier. Then between the two of them they get her undressed. He slips the nightgown over her head and helps her get onto the bed.

The doctor comes back a few minutes later. The next little while was a whirlwind of activity. The doctor checks her while a nurse straps a monitor across her belly. The sound of the baby's heartbeat fills the room. Ray marvels at the wonders of technology, that one little thing could let you hear your daughter's heartbeat.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is you're dilated about 8 cm so it won't be long now."

"And the bad news?" Ray asks, a look of concern on his face.

"Bad news is that it's too late for an epidural. I can give you something to take the edge off if you would like."

"Maybe towards the end. I can do this," Lizzie says with finality in her voice. She was strong. She could do this.

The next hour or two passed by rather quickly. She then felt a pressure. Ray notices the look on Lizzie's face. "Are you okay?" he asks getting up from where he was sitting and crossing the room to her side.

"Get the doctor," she tells him while groaning. He runs out of the room and then comes back in with the doctor.

"Alright, let's see what we have," the doctor checks her out. "Well, congratulations. It's time to push." They both watch as the doctor and nurse get ready. "Okay, pull your knees up to your chest. You can help hold her leg," she tells Ray. He didn't remember it being like this when Jennifer was born, but that was almost 25 years ago, things change.

After an hour of pushing, a wail pierces the room. Lizzie lays back against the pillows exhausted. A few tears stream down her face as the doctor lays the baby down on her chest. "Oh my God. Ray our baby girl is here. She's here," she couldn't take her eyes off of her daughter. She looks up when Ray doesn't answer her. A few tears were running down his cheeks as a looks on in awe.

The nurse comes over to the two. "I'm just gonna take her to get weighed and cleaned up. I will bring her right back." They watch as the nurse brings Nora over to the baby warmer before weighing her and cleaning her off. "The doctor is going to help you with the afterbirth. And then get you cleaned up."

"She's here," Lizzie says in awe before looking at Ray, who couldn't take his eyes off his daughter. Ray turns to Lizzie and gives her a dazzling smile before leaning down to give her a kiss.

"I love you so much sweetheart. I know I don't tell you enough, but I do. You have just made me the happiest man alive."

"I love you," she whispers giving him another kiss. "Can you get the camera out of the bag?" Ray nods, gives her another kiss before going to her bag and retrieving a digital camera. After Lizzie gets cleaned up, the nurse brings Nora back over to the new parents.

The nurse smiles. "July 11, 2017. Six pounds, six ounces. She is 18 inches long. Born at 3:05 pm. You have one beautiful, healthy baby girl." Ray comes back over to Lizzie as Nora lets out a wail. Lizzie drops her gown and places Nora at her breast. Nora latches on and Lizzie lets out a gasp.

"You okay?" Ray asks in concern.

"Yeah, just felt funny. We're good," she remarks. She smiles as Ray leans down and gives her a kiss before placing the camera on the bed next to her. "I'm so unbelievably happy."


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

A knock on the door sounded and the nurse walks around the curtain to open the door. She comes back and approaches the couple fawning over their nursing daughter.

"Excuse me?" the nurse asks. "Your friend in the hall would like to speak with you." Ray nods leaning over to give Lizzie a kiss and then drops one onto Nora's forehead.

"I will be right back sweetheart," he whispers to her. Lizzie hands the camera to Ray while laying Nora on her legs.

"Take a few pictures to show Dembe," Lizzie tells him.

"Pick her up, hold her," Ray directs. "I want to show him my family." Lizzie beams at him before picking Nora up and holding her close. She smiles at the camera and Ray snaps a few pictures. "Can you take a few of the three of us?" he asks the nurse, who smiles and nods. Ray takes a seat on the bed next to Lizzie, wrapping his arm around her. They both smile, as the nurse takes a few pictures of the three of them. "You know what? Tell the gentleman in the hall to come in. I would like him to see my daughter," Ray tells the nurse. She looks at Lizzie who nods her head. Ray helps Lizzie fix her nightgown and the blanket draped over her legs. Lizzie hands Nora to Ray for the first time and he beams at her.

Dembe follows the nurse into the room, smiling at the two. He claps Ray on the shoulder looking down at the little bundle in Ray's arms. "Raymond, I have been through many things with you. But I have to admit, this is the best one. Fatherhood looks good on you."

"Thank you brother," Ray says as Nora opens her eyes to look up at the face staring down at her. "Hi little girl, I'm your Papa," he tells her softly. She blinks up at him and then closes her eyes, falling back asleep. He had the honor of being Jennifer's daddy, but he was going to be Nora's papa. He couldn't be called daddy again, it still hurt immensely, even after all this time. He wondered what Jennifer would say if she was around today.

"Would you like to hold her Dembe?" Lizzie asks as she blinks sleepily. She was tired. It felt like she had just run a race. Her legs were sore and so was she. She smiles as Dembe nods and then turns to the sink that was in the corner of her room. He quickly washes his hands and walks over to the bed. Ray hands Nora to Dembe and both smile as the bodyguard holds the baby close to him.

"She is beautiful," Dembe says. "Ressler called. I told him you were indisposed at the moment Liz. He wanted you to call him sooner rather than later."

Lizzie sighs and watches as Dembe lowers Nora into the bassinet that was next to Liz's bed. He pulls the cell phone out of his pocket and hands it to Lizzie. She flips the phone open dialing Ressler's number.

"Ressler," she hears him answer.

"Is that how you answer your phone all the time?" she quips.

"Well, since this is my work phone, this is how I answer. Where have you been? I've been trying to call the phone. What have you been doing?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm sorry my pushing a watermelon out is interfering with answering your phone calls," she rolls her eyes and the two men chuckle at her.

"Well, you have a…" he trails off. "Wait! What?" he exclaims.

"She's here," Lizzie tells him. "I started having contractions this morning. My water broke this afternoon and she was here within a few hours after that."

"Liz, that's amazing. Would you guys like some more good news?"

"What's up Ress?" she asks.

"Well, you and Reddington are free to come back. Cooper has kinda drilled into the higher ups heads that if you two are in a relationship that he is bound to stick around. And now add in a baby, and he is definitely sticking around. You can come back to DC."

"Ressler, that's great. I will share the good news," she tells him, making Ray look at her questioningly. She waves him off as Ressler asks for all the details about Nora. "I'm gonna hand you off to Red, but can you not say anything. I would like to surprise everyone." Ressler questions why she can't tell him all of Nora's details. "Because I just pushed a watermelon out Ress. I'm exhausted. I'm barely staying awake right now."

"Okay, fine, fine," he mutters. Lizzie passes the phone off to Ray. She smiles as she settles into a more comfortable position and listens to Ray's exclamation of 'Donald!' Lizzie blinks once while staring at Ray. She falls asleep to him animatedly telling Ressler all about Nora, with her last thought being she was glad he was here for this.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie wakes with a start, wondering what had woken her. She hears Ray in the corner, trying to shush a crying Nora. She looks over to see him walking in a continuous loop cooing softly.

"Give her to me," she says softly. Ray looks over at her smiling. "Where did Dembe go?" she looks around the room.

"He went back to the safe house to get some sleep. We figured no one would make an attempt on my life in the maternity ward of a hospital on the border of Texas and Mexico," Ray tells her while handing her. He eyes her with a hungry gaze as she drops the top of her nightgown and starts to feed the baby.

"Don't look at me like that. The doctor said it would be at least six weeks until _that_ can happen," she points at him. "Now, go be useful and get me something to eat and drink."

"Okay," he says with a chuckle. He leans over, holds her face with his hands before brushing her lips with his. "I love you Lizzie and I love our little Nora."

"We love you," she tells him. Lizzie watches as Ray leaves the room in search of something to eat. She shudders at the feeling she gets at his close proximity. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and that's how she had gone into labor. A few days ago, Ray and Dembe had talked it over, wanting Lizzie to have Nora in the U.S. So they devised a plan, to take the jet into a private airstrip on the border of Texas and Mexico.

So two nights ago, Ray had awoke Lizzie in the middle of the night and they left Cuba for Laredo, Texas. It was small enough where no one would look for them, but large enough that they would be able to blend in. They had ended up at small, but cozy safe house where Lizzie had seduced Ray, not that he wasn't a willing a participant. She knew sex could jump start labor, and boy did it ever.

She looks down at her daughter nursing and she runs her thumb over Nora's soft hair. She looks up as a nurse walks in.

"Oh, hello," the nurse says with a southern drawl. "I'm Nurse Kellie," she writes her name on a dry erase board near the door. "I will be your night nurse. I'm just here to take your little one to get her bath. But I can wait till you are done nursing. She's going to be in here with you, correct?"

"I don't understand," Lizzie says frowning at the nurse.

"Oh, well, some mothers send their babies down to the nursery at night. Some keep them in their rooms. Which would you prefer?" Kellie asks with a polite smile.

"Oh, I'd like for her to stay in here with me," Lizzie tells her.

"That's fine. Is there anything else that you need? Something to eat?"

"Oh, my boyfriend just left to get me something," Lizzie tells the nurse, the lie coming easy. Boyfriend was such a trivial word to use where Ray was concerned. He was so much more and not because of Nora.

"Alright. I will come back in a few minutes to check on you. Just press the button on the side of your bed if you need anything."

Once the baby finishes nursing, she lays her out on her legs as she fixes her nightgown. She leans against the pillows staring at her daughter. Her daughter! She had a daughter! She stares, mesmerized at her daughter. She couldn't believe it. She was finally here.

Nora had her eyes, with Ray's nose, her ears, his eye shape, and her lips. She really was the perfect mixture of the two of them. Nora, what hair she did have, was dark. She looked like she was going to have her hair.

Lizzie pulls the bassinet over next to her bed. She lays Nora in it before getting up slowly and walking over to her bag that was placed on the couch in the corner. She rummages around in it and pulls out a soft purple fleece blanket with Nora stitched in the corner and an equally soft purple monkey. She pulls the IPad out of the bag as well, placing it on the bed. She places the monkey into the corner of the bassinet and drapes the blanket over the sleeping baby.

She gets back into bed and fires the IPad up. She pulls up her Skype App, noticing Aram's screen name was on. Now that they were able to go back to DC, she figured it was safe to contact him. She taps on his name and a few second later his face appears on her screen.

"Hey Agent Scott," he says excitedly.

"Hey Aram. How's everything going? How's everyone at the Post Office?"

"Everything is good. You are very much missed around here. Kinda boring without Mr. Reddington's list and all. But did you hear the good news?"

"I did. I talked to Ressler earlier. Hey Samar," Lizzie says seeing the other agent in the background.

"Hey Liz, how is everything going? You coming back?"

"In a few days," Lizzie replies with a smile.

"A few days?" Aram asks. Lizzie gives them another bright smile. She angles the IPad so they could see Nora. "Oh my God!" Aram says excitedly. He looks at something past the screen before he shrugs his shoulders. The computer screen swivels and she smiles brightly at Cooper.

"Hello Sir."

"Agent Scott. What's going on? You and Reddington coming back?"

"We are Sir. We just have to wait till I get out of the hospital," she turns the IPad as he gives her a worried look. He sees Nora and gives her a smile.

"I understand. Congratulations Liz."

She looks up as Ray walks into the room carrying some takeout bags. She holds her hand out for whatever he had gotten her. "Sorry Lizzie, but the only thing within walking distance was a pizza place. I got you a grilled chicken salad."

"That's fine. Here," she hands the IPad to Ray as he hands her a plastic container.

"Harold," Ray says jovially. She half listens to Ray as she digs into her salad. She knew they were talking logistics about going back to DC and the Post Office. He finally gets off with Cooper, placing the IPad onto the bed.

"We should talk about what happens when we get back to DC," Lizzie says as she places the plastic fork down.

"I know. And we will. Let's put all that to the side. Let's just sit back and stare at our beautiful little girl. Work can wait, the blacklist can wait."

Lizzie nods. "That sounds good." They both turn to look at their daughter. They eat in silence for a few minutes before Lizzie turns to look at Ray. "Next time I would like a boy." She starts to laugh as Ray starts choking on his food.

"Next time?" he gets out, still choking. Lizzie smiles brightly at him and laughs at the stunned expression on his face.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

Lizzie sits on her hospital bed holding Nora. She looks down at her little girl and smiles as her own blue eyes stare back at her. She brings Nora up and places a light kiss on her cheek. "Are you ready to get out of here sweet girl? Your Mama is definitely ready. Good thing Papa has his own jet, because I'm sure you are going to be crying. Mama doesn't like takeoffs, so I assume you won't either. Isn't that right sweetie?" she brings Nora up to her face once again, breathing in her fresh baby scent.

She looks up as the doctor walks into the room holding a few papers. "How are we today? Ready to get out of here?"

"Beyond ready. Everyone has been really great, but we just want to get home to the quiet. We are ready to be a family."

The doctor nods. "That's understandable and I agree with you. That was my first thought after my first child was born. Get home to some familiar surroundings. I heard you were heading back to Washington DC. Is that correct?"

Lizzie nods her head. "Yes. We got the okay from the pediatrician who came to check on Nora. She might be fussy during the takeoff and landing. But that will be normal. She told me nursing might help."

"Yeah, or a pacifier. If you are going to use one," the doctor says.

"We've decided against using one. My boyfriend is a worrier. He worries that if she uses one she won't be able to live without it and she's going to…" she trails off trying to remember the tangent Ray had went on about Nora using a pacifier. Lizzie shakes her head. "Something about her teeth. I just gave up. It's easier than fighting with him."

The doctor nods. "Where is your gentleman? He hasn't left your side."

"He went to bring everything to the car," Lizzie tells her. She places Nora into the bassinet next to her bed and takes the pen the doctor holds out to her. She points out a few places for Lizzie to sign before standing.

"Alright, a nurse is going to come in with a wheelchair. It's hospital policy."

Lizzie sighs. "Yeah, I know." She watches the doctor leave and then turns back to Nora. "I'm ready to go home sweetie. I hate hospitals."

"Not all hospitals are bad sweetheart. I believe it was a hospital room that brought us together," Lizzie turns to see Ray standing behind her. She had been so focused on Nora and her thoughts that she didn't even hear Ray come in.

"I thought it was the safe house afterwards, that brought us together," she quips back.

"Oh, a great many firsts happened at that safe house," he gives her a lascivious grin, both of them knowing what happened at the end of their stay at the safe house. "But I consider that hospital room the jumping off point of our relationship. Did the doctor discharge you?"

"Yes, I'm just waiting on a nurse to bring a wheelchair. Hospital policy and all that," she mutters. Ray chuckles and she turns to look at him. "What are you laughing about?"

"Memories, sweetheart," he tells her before picking Nora up and holding her to his chest.

Lizzie stares at Ray. Who would have thought the feared 'Concierge of Crime' was a baby person. She loved watching him with Nora. He was a natural.

"You are incredibly hot when you are with our daughter," Lizzie tells him. "I find it incredibly sexy when you are like this."

"Really?" he asks. "Maybe we should get started on that boy," he tells her, leaning over to give her a kiss.

"Let's figure that out later. I would like to make sure we won't screw up this one too much."

Ray scoffs. "'Screw up this one'?" he quotes her back.

"Yeah, you're Raymond Reddington. Concierge of Crime. Fourth most wanted on the FBI's list. And me? Well, I don't know who I am. I have memories that I may or may not even remember. I love her so much. I don't want Nora to hate me. What if…" she gets out before Ray shushes her.

"Lizzie, sweetheart, you are going to be a great mom. Nora is lucky to have you. And if you are already thinking about like this, it means you will be amazing. We haven't even left the hospital yet. Don't drive yourself crazy with the 'what ifs'. Trust me, I've been over them so many times over the years."

Lizzie nods her head. "Your right. I'm sorry. I just… I don't know."

"It's alright to feel a little insecure. And yeah, I'm sure our daughter isn't going to have the easiest childhood with us being who we are. But I will make sure that she will be happy. She will want for nothing Lizzie. You will both want for nothing."

They turn as a nurse comes in pushing a wheelchair. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Yes," Lizzie tells her getting in the wheelchair with a huff. She hated this part but then she smiles as Ray hands Nora to her. She nuzzles her daughter's cheek as the nurse starts to push them out of the room. Lizzie turns to see Ray walking next to them. He had taken all of her stuff out to the car already. Lizzie holds Nora with one arm while taking Ray's hand with her free one. He smiles down at her.

They get out to the lobby of the hospital where Dembe meets them at the door with the car seat, handing it to Ray. He brings it over to Lizzie and together they get Nora into it. Ray picks the car seat up and helps Lizzie out of the wheel chair. They get into the car, placing Nora in between the two of them.

"We heading straight for the jet?" Lizzie asks as Dembe starts driving. Ray nods his head. She takes his hand over Nora's car seat and leans back against the comfortable leather. She blinks against sleep.

"Don't fall asleep Lizzie. We will be at the jet in five minutes. Then you can sleep." She closes her eyes while smiling. Sure enough, the car slows to a stop about five minutes later. She opens her eyes while yawning to see Ray's jet waiting on the tarmac. The door was open with the stairs descending down. "Lizzie, why don't you take Nora and get yourselves comfortable. Dembe and I will get all the other stuff."

Lizzie nods while unhooking the car seat from the base. She gets out of the car taking the seat with her. Ray hands her the base as he unbuckles it from the seatbelt. Lizzie looks down at Nora and heads up the stairs into the jet. Soon, Dembe and Ray walk onto the jet with the door closing behind him. Ray places Nora's diaper bag down by Lizzie's feet before taking a seat across from her. He glances over Lizzie who had positioned her seat back and was already starting to doze. He checks the car seat to make sure it was secure and then fixes the blanket over his daughter.

He rummages through the diaper bag looking for a hat for Nora. It was kind of cold on the jet. He pulls one out with a 'ah-ha' and puts it on Nora's little head. He looks up to see Lizzie staring at him.

"What are you doing?" she asks him as he takes a seat as Dembe tells him they were ready to take off.

"It's cold in here. I just fixed Nora's blanket and put a hat on her head. I don't want her to get cold."

As the plane starts to move and they taxi down the runway and start to lift off, they both hold their breath keeping an eye on the car seat. They weren't sure if the change in altitude would bother the baby. Ray turns to Lizzie as she wiggles and puts a hand onto her ear. She hated this part of flying. Once they level out, they both let out a sigh of relief that Nora didn't wake up.

"Dembe, where did that blanket go?" Lizzie asks. Dembe goes back to where the cupboards were and comes back with a blanket. She smiles at him before getting up and walking over to Ray. She pushes the center handrail up and makes a 'move' motion with her hand. He scoots over a little wondering what she was doing. She places a pillow against the left handrail before sitting down and throwing her legs over Ray's lap. He smiles as he realizes what she doing. He throws his arm around her and pulls her close. She lays her head onto his shoulder, snuggling into him as Ray drapes the blanket over the both of them.

"Sleep Lizzie. I will wake you if Nora needs you," he pulls her face up to meet his, giving her a kiss. She deepens the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They break away laughing as a cough sounds from behind them. "I'm so glad to be going home," she whispers.

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

Note: As Secrets draw to a close, I want to send out an ENORMOUS shout out to Alysha Jones Porter, for whom this story wouldn't have gotten made. So thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for the hours upon hours of facebook chats, for dealing with my neurotic-ness, for just chatting about life or just a quick question about how I should word something, or write something. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

To everyone who reviewed, liked or followed. You guys are the very best! I cannot wait to bring you the third installment. I hope everyone enjoys this and I cannot wait to bring you on a wild ride with the Reddington's in "Life"

~*~ TBL ~*~

Lizzie steps off the plane and onto the stairs, gazing at the grey skies and then turns to Ray who was standing behind her holding onto Nora's seat. The landing was not as smooth as takeoff. They hit a bit of turbulence. According to Dembe there had been a series of small storms in the area and they were flying into another one. Nora had cried almost the entire time they were landing. Lizzie had finally taken her from Ray and started to nurse her. Nora had calmed down almost instantly, latching onto her mother as Ray slumped a little into his seat, put out.

Dembe had been the first one off the plane and started loading the car with their bags while Lizzie and Ray had a few more quiet moments as a family. Once they walked into the post office, they were back to being FBI agent and criminal, well, at least when she came back after her maternity leave. Ray had told Lizzie that he would be willing to talk to Ressler about his list as long as Lizzie took an eight week maternity leave.

Lizzie readily agreed to that, she didn't want to jump back into things right away. She didn't want to leave her daughter so soon. They were heading straight to the Post Office so they could talk to Cooper about what was happening next.

Within a few minutes they were on their way to the Post Office. The traffic light considering it was close to dinner time. She had called Ressler from the plane once they hit DC airspace and he had told her everyone was still at the PO. A few minutes later, Dembe pulls in. Lizzie gets out of the car throwing the diaper bag over her shoulder while Ray grabs Nora's seat.

"Hey Paul," Lizzie greets the guard at the entrance of the elevator. She shows him her badge and he nods.

"Agent Scott. I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yes. Thank you," she says as they get onto the elevator. Once it closes, she turns to Ray. "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be. I want to talk to Cooper and then go. I'm tired and I want to get Nora settled in."

"Alright Lizzie," he tells her. She takes a deep breath as the elevator slows and finally opens. She smiles as Ressler stands waiting.

"Ress," she says warmly. She smiles as he pulls her into a decidedly un-Ressler-like hug before letting go and stepping back.

"It's been quiet around here without you two," he tells them. He leans over to peak into the seat and smiles. "She's adorable." They follow Ressler over to where Aram's station was. He was, of course, sitting behind his computer but his attention was on Samar. They were speaking in a hushed tone but both turn as Nora finally lets out of a wail.

"Liz!" Aram cries as he sees her. Lizzie accepts his hug. Aram had always been very nice and good to her since she started here.

"Hey Aram," she says warmly. "Samar," Lizzie says accepting another hug from the agent. She turns to see Ray unbuckling Nora from her seat. "I would like to introduce… Wait, where is Cooper?"

"Office, I will go and get him," Ressler tells her. Lizzie watches Aram look at Nora.

"Would you like to hold her Aram?" she asks.

"Oh, I, uh, I… I don't think that's a good idea. I just, uh, I'm scared I would drop her or something," he stutters out. "And I don't think, uh, Mr. Reddington, would, uh…"

Lizzie takes Nora out of Ray's arms and turns to look at Aram. "Between us, he's a big softie. He may make you think he's big and bad, but once Nora was born, he turned into a puddle of goo," Lizzie jokes out, laughing as Ray snorts behind her. "Just hold your arms like me. There you go," Lizzie slides Nora into his arms.

"Oh, she's tiny," Aram says bringing her closer into his chest. Samar looks down at the baby, feeling her tiny foot though the soft fleece outfit she was wearing.

"You know, I was never one of those people who melted at the sight of babies," Samar starts, "but I have to admit, she is quite cute."

"Of course she is. She's my daughter," Ray boasts. Lizzie smiles as she sees Cooper and Ressler walking back.

"My turn," Ressler says coming back. He takes Nora out of Aram's arms, pulling her close to his chest. "Small," he tells Ray and Lizzie.

"Congratulations you two," Cooper says. "She is very cute. Which brings me to my next question. What is going to happen now?" Ray and Lizzie exchange a look before Lizzie nods at him. "Would you like to talk in my office?" Lizzie nods and the two walk off.

Ray turns as he hears Samar coo at the baby. Ressler had Nora up against his chest, his hand covering most of her back. Her eyes were open and she was relaxed. "You are surprisingly good with her Donald," Ray tells the agent.

"I've got a few nieces and nephews. I know what to do," he explains.

"I know Lizzie wanted to be the one to ask you, but we would like for you to be Nora's godfather."

"Wow, yeah, uh, yeah. I would be honored," Ressler says. "So if something were to happen to either of you…"

"Nora would go to you. No one else would protect her like you would. You are after all Lizzie's best friend," Ray says leaving it at that. There was no more explanation. There didn't need to be any more of an explanation.

"Alright, my turn," they turn to see Cooper and Lizzie walking back to them. Cooper takes Nora from Ressler as Lizzie comes to stand next to Ray. She lays her hands onto Ray's shoulder as she watches the sight of these grown men, these Federal agents coo at her newborn daughter. She chuckles as Cooper stares down at Nora while she stares back at him.

"Did you talk to Ressler?" she asks.

"I did. He would be honored."

"Good," she lays her head onto his shoulder. "I'm ready to go home."

"Me too. Grab our baby and let's go home. I have a surprise for you two," Ray tells Lizzie into her ear. She pulls back while looking at him, a blush crossing her face. He shakes his head knowing where her thoughts were heading. "Oh, I wish, but not that kind of surprise." Lizzie sighs before walking over to Cooper.

"Alright, we are ready to go home," she takes Nora from Cooper, who was very reluctant to give her up. Lizzie places Nora into her seat and Ray takes it while she grabs the diaper bag. Ressler follows them, keeping a watchful eye on Nora. "Ressler, nothing is going to happen between here and the car. Relax," she tells him. He sighs and nods. They get onto the elevator and Ressler jabs at the button.

"How long until you guys are back?"

"It will be about eight weeks for me. Sooner if you really need me. But he will be back sooner. He is willing to talk to you about names and things. We want to get back into things sooner rather than later. Make the world a little safer for Nora and all that," Lizzie explains.

They exit the elevator and Ressler watches as Ray places Nora into the car. "I will be in touch in a few days. Give me a chance to spend some time with my daughter." Ressler nods his head and watches as they drive off.

~*~ TBL ~*~

Instead of heading to the apartment they were in before, Dembe drives out of the city and over the bridge. Lizzie looks around and towards Ray. He shakes his head, not saying a word. It was a bit of a drive, but Lizzie enjoyed the scenery.

She turns to Ray once again after she sees the 'Welcome to Chevy Chase' sign. "Ray, where are we going? What did you do?"

"You'll see," he replies. Dembe drives for another few minutes before pulling into a driveway. Lizzie gets out and looks at the house. It was normal compared to all the safe houses she had met Ray at over the years. It was a soft gray with black shutters framing the windows. The door was a rich, vibrant wood. She loved it immediately.

"Ray?" she questions. The lawn was a vibrant green and obviously well cared for. There was a brick walkway from the front door to the sidewalk that branched out towards the driveway as well. As they start to walk towards the front door it opens revealing Mr. Kaplan.

"'Bout time you showed up. Now bring that baby inside and let me look at her," she wraps an arm around Lizzie's shoulders guiding her into the house. One step inside was all it took and she fell in love with it all over again. There seemed to be wood flooring throughout, windows everywhere letting natural light in.

"Ray, I love it," she exclaims. "But I don't understand." Their furniture was in the house from the apartment they shared along with some of the furniture she had at her place.

"Come here, I want to show you something," he grabs her hand and leads her up the stairs. He leads her to the end of the hall and into a room that was painted a light brown/tan-ish color. Their bed room furniture was strategically placed in all the right places in the room. "Do you like it?"

"Of course, I do," she tells him. She wraps her arms around him, nuzzling into his neck.

He then leads her into a room slightly down the hall. She gasps when he opens the door. A white crib sat against one wall while a changing table/dresser sat against another. There was a white rocking chair in between, while across from that sat a small bookcase filled with books and a small toy box next to it. "Ray," she gasps out, tears filling her eyes. She steps into the room and looks around at everything. She trails her fingers over the light pink walls. She turns to see white letters hanging on the wall spelling her daughter's name.

"I want our daughter growing up in a house. Somewhere, where she can have a backyard, a swing set, friends. Somewhere, where she can have a normal childhood despite what we do. I might not be able to be here all the time, but I want you and our baby to be comfortable. I want to give you two the world. Which is why I'm going to do this here."

"Do what?" she asks turning to look at Ray. She brings a hand to stifle her gasp as she sees Ray holding a black box in his hand.

"We might not be able to get married. But I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I love you so much Lizzie and I love our little girl. And if you want a son, then I will do my best to give you one. But marry me Elizabeth Scott."

"Ray, I…"


End file.
